Republicans say the laws put Florida — long a haven for immigrants — on the leading edge of conservative-controlled states working to leverage state and local resources for federal immigration enforcement.
Florida’s new legislation mandates the death penalty for immigrants in the U.S. without legal authorization who commit capital offenses such as first degree murder or child rape. It's a provision that goes above and beyond Trump’s executive orders.
DeSantis approved the bills after legislative leaders brokered a compromise that settled a weekslong standoff among the state’s top Republicans over how best to support Trump’s sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration.
“Today, the Florida Legislature has passed the strongest legislation to combat illegal immigration of any state in the entire country,” DeSantis said before signing the bills and handing a sharpie to each of the legislative leaders standing behind him. "We are ahead of the curve on ending the illegal immigration crisis.”
The laws would increase penalties for all crimes committed by immigrants in the country without authorization, and would create a new crime of entering the state after coming to the U.S. illegally.
As part of the compromise, lawmakers did away with a previous proposal to strip the governor of much of his emergency powers on immigration.
A provision that drew bipartisan criticism repeals a law that allows Florida students who are in the country without legal authorization to qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.
Lawmakers in other southern states are passing their own bills aimed at furthering Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The Alabama Senate on Thursday swiftly advanced their own slate of proposals, which would allow jails to hold people to verify immigration status; require jails to collect DNA from unauthorized immigrants in their custody; end the state’s recognition of driver licenses from other states that are issued without proof of citizenship; and make it a felony to bring an undocumented immigrant into the state.
“If you come to the country legally, if you come into Alabama legally, then these bills don’t affect you,” said Republican Sen. Wes Kitchens, a sponsor of one of the bills.
