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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Republican lawmakers Thursday to take immediate action on illegal immigration, and warned of political consequences for inaction.
Before next week’s special session, DeSantis pushed for legislation aligned with Trump’s federal crackdown, though GOP leaders have called the session “premature” and hinted at delaying action. DeSantis warned such delays would be politically risky and suggested he might call another special session if progress stalls.
“I have my constitutional authority to wield in this process and I will continue to wield it as appropriate so that we’re able to get the job done,” he said, adding that he would fight like a “junkyard dog” to get his immigration policies enacted. “You don’t let go.”
DeSantis is pushing for laws requiring state and local officials to comply with White House immigration orders and penalizing those who violate Florida’s “anti-sanctuary policies,” WPTV reported. He also urged lawmakers to address hurricane aid, ballot initiative fraud, and rising HOA fees.
🚨 OMG. This reporter just called illegals “undocumented,” DeSantis corrected him, and the reporter re-phrased the question because of it.
REPORTER: Florida has hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants-
GOVERNOR DESANTIS: -The statutory term, per the Trump… pic.twitter.com/9nKkptj1kq
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 23, 2025
However, House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton criticized the governor’s call for a special session starting Jan. 27, calling it “irresponsible” to act before Trump announces immigration plans and accusing DeSantis of presenting only “fragmented ideas” without detailed proposals.
DeSantis rejected the concerns of the legislature, telling reporters that “we’ve been waiting years for this moment. It’s not premature… We can’t drag our feet. We can’t wait for something to go into effect in July. We need something immediately and we need to get everything moving, and we need to do what we told the people that elected us that we would do.”
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