After Gov. Ron DeSantis promised to veto a contentious immigration bill he called "weak," he hinted that the legislature may be called into another special session to address immigration issues that he supports.
DeSantis made the comments Wednesday after the GOP-controlled Legislature replaced 10 of his immigration proposals with an 84-page bill of their own, which they approved late last night. The governor had previously warned he would push for another special session if the Legislature rebelled, likening himself to a “junkyard dog” latched to lawmakers' ankles over the issue.
And he's not changing his tune.
"We're not gonna quit on this, it's just too important to quit on," DeSantis said at a Titusville roundtable, echoing earlier comments that this issue cannot wait until the regular session in March. "We're gonna keep digging in until we actually get the job done."
DeSantis's remarks come hours before President Donald Trump is expected to sign the first bill of his administration, the Laken Riley Act. Named after a Georgia college student murdered by an illegal immigrant, the new law will require federal officials to detain any unauthorized migrants accused of a crime.
DeSantis swiped at the Legislature's bill, called the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy (TRUMP) Act, as "half-baked", pointing out that it lacked criminal penalties for non-compliant law enforcement, didn't ban undocumented immigrants sending or receiving money abroad, and failed to consider criminal illegal immigrants as flight risks—three points threaded through the 10 immigration bills DeSantis had supported before the Legislature killed them.
"We gotta stop with the weak sauce," he said, arguing the bill would hinder anti-illegal immigration efforts and "neuter" enforcement, particularly by crowning Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson—whom DeSantis called a "fox in the hen house"—as Chief Immigration Officer.
Before the press conference, DeSantis posted to social media that his "veto pen is ready" to nix the TRUMP Act, which he has repeatedly blasted as "weak" and "toothless" compared to his bills. This comes as no surprise, considering he and GOP Lawmakers have been locked in a rare power struggle since DeSantis' Jan. 13 call for a special session to align Florida with Trump on illegal immigration.
Lawmakers stunned the state by claiming the call was "irresponsible," "premature," and a "publicity stunt,"—the first time DeSantis has dealt with an open rebellion from within his own party. They adjourned his special session just 15 minutes after it started, killing all of his bills, and then launched their own special session starring the TRUMP Act, which they approved.
The TRUMP Act passed the Senate in a 21-16 vote and the House in an 82-30 vote. Once DeSantis vetoes the bill, at least two-thirds of each chamber—or 27 Senators and 80 Representatives—would need to vote to override the veto.
The Legislature has yet to send the bill to DeSantis's desk.
