DeSantis signals he will veto immigration bill passed by Florida GOP lawmakers

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DeSantis signals he will veto immigration bill passed by Florida GOP lawmakers

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Wednesday he plans to veto a Republican-sponsored immigration bill that was passed by the Florida Legislature this week, marking the latest salvo in his feud with state GOP lawmakers.

“The veto pen is ready,” DeSantis said in a post on social platform X following the legislation’s passage Tuesday evening.

“The bill that narrowly passed the Florida legislature last night fails to honor our promises to voters, fails to meet the moment, and would actually weaken state immigration enforcement,” the governor wrote.

DeSantis’s veto threat comes amid a war of words between DeSantis and state House Speaker Daniel Perez (R) and state Senate President Ben Albritton (R). In a stunning move Monday, Perez and Albritton gaveled out a special session proposed by DeSantis to implement President Trump’s immigration agenda.

Instead, the state Legislature leaders introduced the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act, also known as the TRUMP Act. The legislation notably calls to make the state’s Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson the chief immigration officer. DeSantis has called the legislation watered down.

Like DeSantis’s proposals, the legislation would increase penalties for noncitizens who vote and those who aid noncitizens in voting. Additionally, it would up penalties for individuals who commit a crime while in the U.S. illegally and strips in-state tuition for students at public universities who came into the country illegally.

And while the bill also creates a chief of immigration, the most glaring difference is that it establishes Simpson as the chief immigration officer. Simpson, who has been floated as a potential 2026 gubernatorial pick, is not a DeSantis ally.

The events mark a potential new era for DeSantis, who has enjoyed loyalty from Republicans in the red state, as he seeks to curry favor with Trump. Both sides of the debate have lobbied with Trump over the issue.

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