By Dara Kam ©2025 The News Service of Florida
TALLAHASSEE — After snubbing a plan by Gov. Ron DeSantis in a rare show of Republican dissonance, the GOP-controlled Legislature on Monday advanced a $500 million proposal aimed at carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The legislation, dubbed the “Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy (TRUMP) Act,” would do away with in-state tuition breaks at colleges and universities for undocumented immigrants, give state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson the power to enforce immigration policies and steer hundreds of millions of dollars to law-enforcement agencies to support Trump’s policies.
The House and Senate rolled out the measures on the first day of a special legislative session, with the bills veering widely from proposals filed Sunday by a group of DeSantis’ legislative allies. DeSantis on Jan. 13 called a special session, angering legislative leaders. They opened the DeSantis-called special session Monday morning, quickly adjourned it and then opened their own special session.
Monday’s battle over the immigration issues was a stark departure from the GOP’s unity that’s been the hallmark of DeSantis’ relationship with the Legislature over the past six years and presented a show of strength by new House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and new Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula.
DeSantis quickly shredded the legislative proposals — and legislative leaders — in a video and lengthy statement posted on X, accusing them of having “gutted” critical portions of his plan.
“We had a series of very, very strong proposals. While they included some of the things we said, most of the stuff that’s really, really going to be meaningful was not in the proposal put forward by leaders of the Florida Legislature, the Republican leaders,” DeSantis said in the video. “You have to have a requirement that state and local entities actively cooperate with immigration enforcement federally. Otherwise, none of this stuff is going to amount to much.”
Perez and Albritton rapidly punched back in a statement attacking the governor’s analysis of their proposals (SB 2-B and HB 1B), which came after Trump signed immigration executive orders following his Jan. 20 inauguration.
“The governor did not read President Trump’s executive orders before calling a special session. As a matter of fact, they didn’t exist. And, it would appear he didn’t read SB 2B/HB 1B before issuing a response on social media,” the leaders’ statement said. “It’s easier to fool someone than to convince them they were fooled. We aren’t trying to fool anybody. We stand on the Constitution, and the truth.”
The bills would steer $20 million to Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson’s department to create the Office of State Immigration Enforcement. The plans also would earmark $100 million for grants to local law enforcement agencies. The grants would be handled by the new office, which would have until March 1 to come up with a process to administer the money.
The bills also would set aside $375 million to carry out recommendations from the new immigration office aimed at assisting state and local law enforcement agencies to implement Trump’s policies. Money could be used for such things as grants for law-enforcement training, grants to local law-enforcement agencies to retain or attract employees and grants to pay costs incurred by local law-enforcement agencies complying with White House’s immigration policies.
The bills, which could get final approval as early as Tuesday, would effectively make Simpson, a former Senate president who is considered to be a possible contender in the GOP race for governor in 2026, the state’s immigration czar. As Florida’s“chief immigration officer,” Simpson would act as the state’s “liaison” with the Trump administration on the issue, House bill sponsor Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, told a committee Monday.
Simpson is a staunch ally of Trump, who made a crackdown on immigration a pillar of his re-election campaign.
“Simpson, he is one of the best and the brightest that we have in this state. He will not only do an incredible job, he will exceed all expectations in making sure that this job is done correctly,” Senate bill sponsor Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican who has Trump’s endorsement in the 2026 race for state chief financial officer, said before the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 12-6 in favor of the bill.
Simpson praised the effort on social media.
“With a mandate from the American people, @POTUS has an aggressive agenda to secure our border, combat illegal immigration and deport criminals. @Sen_Albritton @Daniel_PerezFL are working to ensure he has the support and resources to get the job done here in the Sunshine State,” he tweeted.
But DeSantis also swiped at giving Simpson the power, saying it “unconstitutionally removes authority to enforce the law from the governor to a lower-level cabinet agency, the Department of Agriculture, that does not oversee state law enforcement and whose stakeholders often oppose enforcement measures.”
Giving enforcement power to the Department of Agriculture “puts the fox in charge of the hen house,” the governor’s X post said.
His comments drew the wrath of Perez and Albritton, whose statement said DeSantis “leveled serious and inappropriate insults at his fellow Cabinet officer, local law enforcement officers, and our agricultural community.”
“This statement is completely untrue, and the governor knows that. Under our bill, the governor will maintain all of his emergency powers,” the leaders said, noting that Simpson’s office has a law-enforcement division with 200 officers. “There is absolutely nothing unconstitutional about the separation of powers and the advancement of immigration enforcement at a constitutionally-created Cabinet-level agency other than the governor.”
DeSantis also took aim at the legislative measures for not providing “meaningful assistance to federal efforts,” a view which Perez and Albritton called “a blatant lie” about Florida law-enforcement officers.
Their proposal would require all sheriffs to enter written agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help identify and detain criminal illegal immigrants, the leaders’ statement said.
“Law enforcement is our partner, not our enemy. It’s no wonder the governor’s proposal included criminal penalties for law enforcement. His statement clearly suggests he doesn’t trust the boots on the ground, but we do,” they said.
DeSantis’ remarks raised the possibility that he could veto what the Legislature passes and force lawmakers to return for another special session.
Republicans have supermajorities in both the House and the Senate, which means they could override a veto if the GOP caucus held together as a bloc.
“Well, I guess the boxing gloves are on. Clearly,” said Rep. Mike Caruso, a Delray Beach Republican who sponsored several of the bills that were filed Sunday and aligned more with DeSantis’ plan. Those bills were not heard Monday.
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