Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida would “shake and roll” when it came to implementing President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Florida’s second-term Conservative governor used some of his state’s speeches on Tuesday to spotlight a sweeping package of immigration laws passed during a special session of the GOP-controlled legislation a few weeks ago.
“We are convening for regular legislative meetings that have already enacted groundbreaking laws to fulfill our historic mission to realize President Donald Trump’s mission to end the illegal immigration crisis,” DeSantis said in a speech to lawmakers inside the state capitol in Tallahas.
Florida showdown: GOP state legislators ignore Desantis over immigration push
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will shake hands with lawmakers to compete in the joint meeting on the first day of the 2025 legislative meeting on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at the state capitol in Tallahassee, Florida (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
And the governor touted, “We didn’t have a state sooner than we did in Florida.”
Florida’s new measures will strengthen immigration enforcement by state and local law enforcement agencies.
“Thank you Ron” – Trump praises DeSantis immigrants push in Florida
“Thanks to recent law, it is a crime to enter Florida illegally at present, and the day of catch and release is over, and all state and local law enforcement agencies are obligated to support domestic immigration enforcement efforts,” the governor emphasized.
Law enforcement officials are paying attention to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he speaks at a press conference on immigration enforcement in Homestead, Florida (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Hangar at Homestead Air Force Base on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.
The new law also requires the death penalty for US immigrants without legal approval to commit capital crimes such as first-degree murder and child rape. The law goes further than the massive executive order Trump has signed since returning to the White House in late January.
Speaking to reporters after his speech, DeSantis described the new law as “critical immigration laws,” and promoted it as “we’ve become much faster than any other state.”
Florida State Capitol building, as seen in Tallahassee, Florida. (Mark Wall Heiser/Getty Images)
The governor signed the law last month, after a compromise with Congressional Republican leadership brokered, ending a few weeks of standoffs on the duel bill.
DeSantis called for the original special legislative meeting, but the lawmakers quickly gapped and held another special session where they passed their own immigration bill, which the governor criticized.
“We got there, it wasn’t necessarily a straight shot, but we got there,” DeSantis said, recalling his standoff with the lawmakers on Tuesday.
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The governor, who embarked on a bitter and failed major challenge to Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, was praised by the then presidential election for calling for a special session in January.
“Thank you, Ron, hopefully the other governors will follow!” Trump wrote in a social media post after DeSantis announced the special session.
Paul Steinhauser is a political reporter based in New Hampshire.
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