According to the New York Post, Florida government Ron DeSantis has signed a comprehensive immigration bill into law, strengthening the country’s position in enforcing border laws and backing President Donald Trump‘s crackdown on illegal immigration.
DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Florida senate engaged in a unique power struggle over crucial legislation procedures.
The bill, signed on Thursday, provides Florida more resources to help national authorities prosecute and arrest illegal refugees. It even imposes tougher sanctions for immigration-related acts.
The policy comes after weeks of contentious negotiations between state legislators and government over who should be in charge of state-level immigration enforcement.
DeSantis demanded a special legislative session next quarter to pass his immigration program. Yet, state lawmakers ended that conference and launched their personal, setting off a debate over the president’s details. The original proposal by the legislature to give the agriculture commissioner the authority to enforce immigration law was one of the major issues. DeSantis vehemently opposed the action and resisted the appointment of a” general immigration agent” by threatening to reject the bill if his expectations were not met.
A settlement was finally reached, leading to the creation of a State Board of Immigration Enforcement. The committee will comprise of the government, the crops director, the attorney general, and the chief financial officer, with all major choices requiring majority approval. Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, who played a vital part in the discussions, downplayed the conflicts, stating,” At the end of the day, we’re all on the same crew, and we all want to enable President Trump address illegal immigration”.
Some of the toughest emigration laws in the country are introduced by the new rules. It makes it illegal to provide Florida as a condition, removes in-state education benefits for illegal students, strengthens penalties for crimes committed by illegal immigrants, and gives the government the authority to remove local officials who fail to enact immigration laws. Also, illegal immigrants convicted of investment acts will now face the death penalty in Florida.
Additionally, the costs provides$ 298 million in revenue to increase immigration enforcement efforts, including investing in training and equipment and hiring more than 50 fresh law enforcement personnel. Some provisions from earlier versions of the bill, such as a measure that would have reduced the governor’s authority to handle immigration matters, were taken out of the final legislation.
Despite the public feud with state lawmakers, DeSantis dismissed concerns over ongoing divisions, calling the legislative process a “healthy exercise”. Speaking at the signing ceremony, he said,” I don’t think you’re going to see any lingering feelings at all. If they do the job, then let’s move forward on it. And I believe the current legislation is effective.
Trump has been consistently focused on federal immigration policies since taking office on January 20 despite keeping quiet on the subject.
