TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — The immigration battle is back in Florida’s capital as state lawmakers introduce new legislation looking to terminate the governor’s current 2023 immigration state of emergency.
Democrats say the executive order is outdated and they’re hoping to increase oversight, but the appetite for this movement may not be the same for the majority party.
“The governor has made a mockery of the emergency powers granted to him by the Florida constitution,” said Democratic state Sen. Lori Berman at a news conference Wednesday.
Democrats in both the House and Senate are looking to rein in the governor’s executive oversight, saying it’s time for the legislature to step up.
At the start of 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency, aiming to tackle illegal immigration. Since then, the state has aided federal partners with deportations, met for special sessions, built up two immigration detention centers, and continues to introduce legislation around combating the issue.
“Keep in mind, all this was done under a state of emergency for immigration, similar to what President Trump has done federally, and if you terminate that and take the power away from the governor to be able to do any immigration enforcement, you have no maritime interdictions,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis continues to extend the state of emergency, with his most recent one being signed just last week.
“This executive order should not be renewed. As you already heard, it has been extended almost 20 times with no oversight, no accountability from the Florida legislature, no real questions asked about where this money is going, who is benefiting from this money, how many detainees do we even have at the Everglades detention camp, we don’t know. We don’t know because the governor, who claims to be a law-and-order governor, is using his emergency authority as an excuse to circumvent 25 Florida laws,” said Democratic state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith.
A look at the legislation:
- SCR 704, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Tina Polsky, would terminate the ongoing state of emergency on immigration, which was renewed for the 19th time by Governor DeSantis at the end of November.
- SB 700, sponsored by Smith, would require legislative approval to extend any state of emergency for more than one year.
- SB 708, sponsored by Berman, would require the State Immigration Board to create a State Immigration Enforcement Action Database to ensure transparency for individuals detained by the state.
“We need this check, we need this balance restored to our state government,” said Democratic state Rep. Fentrice Diskell.
NewsNation affiliate WFLA reached out to the governor’s office about the executive order, which shared a statement from Communications Director Alex Lanfranconi saying, “It will continue to be an emergency until every illegal alien is sent back.”
And when it comes to Republicans’ concern on the issue, Senators like John Martin (R-Fort Myers), alongside Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, are looking to ramp up immigration enforcement by introducing legislation of their own.