Gov. DeSantis to Veto Immigration Bill Passed in Fla.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday he will veto an illegal immigration bill passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

"We must have the strongest law in the nation on immigration enforcement. We cannot be weak," he wrote on X. "That's what the people expect and what the people have voted for in recent elections, culminating in the mandate earned by President Trump to enact the largest deportation program in history. 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 veto pen is ready."

DeSantis has been feuding with lawmakers in the Florida House and Senate after they abruptly "gaveled out" a special legislative session the governor called to request their approval for his measures supporting President Donald Trump's hardline immigration agenda.

Republican Senate President Ben Albritton accused DeSantis of trying to usurp the Legislature's authority to write laws, and said the chambers would pursue their own immigration bill that would follow the "spirit and letter" of Trump's immigration policies without input from the governor.

The measure includes several items that DeSantis advocated for, including the repeal of a decade-old law that allows undocumented students who attended a Florida high school to pay in-state tuition.

Legislators also set aside more than $500 million to help local law enforcement officials and the state assist in the immigration crackdown, and their bill would require the mandatory imposition of the death penalty if a person in the country illegally committed a capital offense such as murder, Politico reported.

The bill passed by lawmakers shifted immigration enforcement away from DeSantis to Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who has a strained relationship with the governor. Republicans in the Legislature said their bill was crafted with input from Trump and his administration.

The bill passed the Florida Senate 21-16, far short of the numbers needed to override a veto.

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