New Bill Proposes to Limit DeSantis' Authority on Immigration Policies

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — In Tallahassee, the debate over immigration policy is reigniting as state legislators propose a bill to end the governor’s 2023 declaration of an immigration state of emergency.

Democratic lawmakers argue that the executive order is now obsolete and are advocating for increased scrutiny. However, this push may not resonate with the majority party’s priorities.

“The governor has turned the emergency powers afforded to him by the Florida constitution into a farce,” remarked State Senator Lori Berman (D-Boca Raton) during a press briefing on Wednesday.

Democrats from both legislative chambers are aiming to curtail the governor’s executive reach, asserting that it’s time for the legislature to take the lead.

At the start of 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency aiming to tackle illegal immigration. Since then, the state has aided federal partners with deportations, met for special sessions, built up two immigration detention centers, and continues to introduce legislation around combating the issue.

“Keep in mind, all this was done under a state of emergency for immigration, similar to what President Trump has done federally, and if you terminate that and take the power away from the governor to be able to do any immigration enforcement, you have no maritime interdictions,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis continues to extend the state of emergency, with his most recent one being signed just last week.

“This executive order should not be renewed. As you already heard, it has been extended almost 20 times with no oversight, no accountability from the Florida legislature, no real questions asked about where this money is going, who is benefiting from this money, how many detainees do we even have at the Everglades detention camp, we don’t know. We don’t know because the governor, who claims to be a law-and-order governor, is using his emergency authority as an excuse to circumvent 25 Florida laws,” said State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando).

Three Bills Regarding Immigration State of Emergency:

SCR 704, sponsored by Senator Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton), would terminate the ongoing state of emergency on immigration, which was renewed for the 19^th time by Governor DeSantis at the end of November.
SB 700, sponsored by Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando), would require legislative approval to extend any state of emergency for more than one year.
SB 708, sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman (D-Boca Raton), would require the State Immigration Board to create a State Immigration Enforcement Action Database, to ensure transparency for individuals detained by the state.

“We need this check, we need this balance restored to our state government,” said State Rep. Fentrice Diskell (D-Tampa).

8 On Your Side reached out to the governor’s office about the executive order, which shared a statement from Communications Director Alex Lanfranconi saying, “It will continue to be an emergency until every illegal alien is sent back.”

And when it comes to Republicans’ concern on the issue, Senators like John Martin (R-Fort Myers), alongside Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, are looking to ramp up immigration enforcement by introducing legislation of their own.