Voters Aren’t Buying Florida GOPers’ Garbage Immigration Bill

Weeks after the 2024 election, The Federalist’s John Daniel Davidson predicted in these pages that the biggest impediment to President Donald Trump’s agenda wouldn’t be Democrats, “but establishment Republicans.” Not even a month into Trump’s presidency, Davidson’s forecast has come true in the form of Florida’s GOP-controlled legislature.

Throughout the past several weeks, Gov. Ron DeSantis has been embroiled in a fight with his party’s refusal to advance legislation instrumental in furthering the Trump administration’s deportation of illegal aliens. Wanting to assist the president in his efforts, DeSantis called for a special session of the legislature earlier this month to pass enforcement measures that would increase penalties for illegals, enhance cooperation between local and state authorities with federal immigration authorities, and more.

Florida’s GOP legislative leadership could have easily concurred with the governor and acted to fulfill the “America First” mandate Floridians and Americans writ large voted for. Instead, they’ve taken it upon themselves to play political games over the matter.

After issuing a letter calling DeSantis’ request for a special session “premature,” House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton gaveled into their own special session last week to ram through their preferred immigration legislation. Perez even referred to DeSantis’ call for a special session as a “stunt.”

As it turns out, however, it appears the only “stunt” being pulled is that by Perez, Albritton, and their GOP establishment allies, who have put forward a bill (deceptively named the “TRUMP Act“) that seemingly contains much weaker provisions than those requested by DeSantis.

Chief among the measure’s contents is a concerning provision that seeks to effectively strip oversight of immigration enforcement from the governor and give it to the state’s agriculture commissioner, who would be designated as Florida’s “chief immigration officer.” The position is currently held by Wilton Simpson, a former Florida Senate president who reportedly owns a large egg farm and previously expressed concern that a 2023 state immigration bill including restrictions for employing foreign nationals could produce “unintended consequences” for businesses reliant on illegal immigrant labor.

Some reports estimate between 40 to 50 percent of Florida’s agricultural industry is reliant on illegal immigrant workers.

“That’s like the fox guarding the hen house,” said DeSantis, who has pledged to veto the bill. “I’ve never seen our base react more negatively on an issue than what the legislature is trying to pull right now. It is like 99 to 1 in terms of opposition.”

During his time in the legislature, Simpson notably supported measures giving temporary driver’s licenses and in-state tuition rates to certain foreign nationals. As Senate president (2020-2022), he also fought DeSantis over the governor’s veto of a congressional map approved by the GOP-controlled legislature. Despite objections from GOP legislative leadership, the map put forward by DeSantis and ultimately approved by the legislature “netted Florida Republicans four additional congressional seats on Election Day [2022] and essentially helped the GOP win the tiny House majority,” according to Politico.

It’s not just DeSantis who is speaking out on the bill’s weak points, however.

Leaders from Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) recently noted, as described by The Blaze, “the legislature’s bill handcuffs their [immigration] enforcement effort,” and “the GOP leadership did not consult them when drafting the legislation.”

“This [bill] would take [away] our ability to interact with DEA, ICE, what have you, and that full spectrum of federal law enforcement, and we would have to go through an additional layer of an agency, through the office of immigration enforcement,” FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner told lawmakers last week. “This language is very limiting.”

Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement also said it was not contacted for input on the legislature’s bill.

None of this has stopped Perez and his allies from deploying numerous tactics to try and deceive voters about the dispute’s finer details. From attempting to hide behind Trump’s name to labeling DeSantis a “RINO,” the establishment’s antics have been nothing short of remarkable.

Regarding Perez, the GOP speaker has attempted to cast DeSantis as a villain for opposing his bill, which he argues “gives the death penalty to any illegal immigrant that commits murder, that rapes children.” (DeSantis already signed a law nearly two years ago that authorizes the death penalty for individuals convicted of child rape).

Perez also reportedly stripped GOP Rep. Mike Caruso — the only House Republican to vote against leadership’s bill — of his subcommittee chairmanship, according to Politico.

Contrary to what they’re hearing in their Tallahassee echo chamber, the Florida GOP establishment isn’t fooling anyone. Voters are wise to Perez and Co.’s charade and recognize this “stunt” is no different than those regularly pulled by Republicans on Capitol Hill.

This latest dust-up is a clear indication that Florida’s feckless Republican legislative leaders believe they can return the Sunshine State to status quo politics once DeSantis leaves office in early 2027. If voters wish to maintain the free and prosperous society resulting from their governor’s bold leadership, they have an obligation to make their voices heard and put these establishment cronies on notice.

Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood