Politics
Blaise Ingoglia files raft of immigration crackdown bills ahead of Special Session
It won’t be “gavel in, gavel out” for Monday’s Special Session, despite legislative leadership saying it would be “premature” to consider bills combating the border crisis.
Instead, a staunch ally of the executive branch has bills ready to go less than 24 hours before the 10:30 a.m. start.
Consistent with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ request for legislation aligning with what President Donald Trump seeks from state efforts to fight illegal immigration, Spring Hill Republican Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (who may be appointed to fill the remainder of Jimmy Patronis’ term as CFO) filed legislation on Sunday that satisfies a robust range of crackdown targets.
Senate Bill 2A offers a version of the “rebuttable presumption” DeSantis wanted, one that assumes detained illegal immigrants will flee and “are flight risks,” denying them bail when they are brought up on charges.
“It shall be presumed that no conditions of release will secure the appearance at trial of an unauthorized alien as defined,” the bill reads.
“If a court determines that there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed the offense and the court further determines by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is an unauthorized alien … the state attorney, or the court on its own motion, must move for pretrial detention.”
While the defendant can “rebut” the presumption, the burden of proof is on the detainee.
SB 4A compels local law enforcement to “support the enforcement of federal immigration law,” by “requiring, rather than authorizing, law enforcement agencies to transport” undocumented immigrants “to federal custody outside the jurisdiction of the law enforcement agency.”
This is consistent with DeSantis’ desire “that law enforcement at both the municipal county and state level … have maximum participation in any programs to assist the federal government with the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”
SB 6A targets criminal gangs and organizations, such as the feared Tren de Aragua and cartel groups, adding “transnational criminal organizations” and “terrorist organizations” to current statute.
Ingoglia’s bill defines “transnational criminal organization” as a “group, network, or associated individuals who operate transnationally for the purpose of obtaining power, influence, or monetary or commercial gain, wholly or in part by illegal means, while advancing their activities through a pattern of crime, corruption, or violence, and while protecting their illegal activities through a transnational organizational structure and the exploitation of public corruption or transnational logistics and financial or communication mechanisms.”
Included are groups already designated as such federally, and those that will be, including by the White House and the Treasury Department and other kindred executive agencies “as either a transnational criminal organization or a foreign narcotics trafficker.”
DeSantis said Wednesday that Florida will “lead” with an “affirmative obligation” imposed on locals to help combat Venezuelan gangs and other malefactors with a “sense of urgency” to help Trump “accomplish the mission the American people” voted for in November. This legislation would offer statutory basis for that work.
SB 8A enhances penalties for crimes committed by illegal aliens.
“A misdemeanor of the second degree is reclassified to a misdemeanor of the first degree. A misdemeanor of the first degree is reclassified to a felony of the third degree,” the bill language states.
SB 10A establishes the Office of Secure Florida within the Department of Commerce at a cost of $1,725,423. This provides 11 full-time positions for E-Verify and employment law oversight, as well as monitoring the purchase and registration of property purchased by people from foreign countries.
The state has sought to block purchases of property near military installations by Chinese nationals and others from hostile countries. Courts have been reluctant to greenlight this policy, but the Trump administration may drive a more favorable regulatory climate.
SB 12A cracks down on illegal immigrants voting, accomplishing another DeSantis priority for reforming voter rolls to further discourage illegal immigration with a declaration of U.S citizenship upon registration, as well as increasing penalties for false information to second degree felonies.
Voters must swear that they “have carefully reviewed the instructions for completing the Florida Voter Registration Application” and “further swear (or affirm)” that they are U.S. citizens. False information imposes “criminal penalties for perjury” and allows them to “be fined, imprisoned, or, if not a United States citizen, deported from or refused entry into the United States.”
SB 14A compels “each state and county law enforcement agency, and any other law enforcement agency with more than 25 sworn or certified law enforcement officers, to enter into a written agreement with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement” to help with enforcement and creates “the Unauthorized Alien Transport Program within the Division of Emergency Management” at a cost of $350M in FY 24-25 “for the purpose of facilitating immigration enforcement consistent with federal law, including, but not limited to, detention, transportation, and deportation.”
The former accords with DeSantis’ desire “that law enforcement at both the municipal, county and state level … have maximum participation in any programs to assist the federal government with the enforcement of federal immigration laws,” and appoints a state immigration officer “dedicated to overseeing coordination” between federal and state resources.
At least 10% of any qualifying law enforcement agency’s manpower must be tasked with this enforcement, and locals do not have the right to refuse the assignment, under the bill.
“Any head of a law enforcement agency who, in the judgment of the Governor, acts in bad faith and fails to comply with any provision of this section is subject to suspension by the Governor,” the bill stipulates.
SB 16A cracks down on remittances to foreign countries, which effectively launder money from this country to support the nefarious and illegal activities of its enemies.
The Governor wants to crack down on remittances to home countries by imposing ID verification in what he calls an “E-Verify for remittances,” which he sees as a “huge deterrent” to these transfers of money. Ingoglia’s bill bans “licensed money services businesses from initiating foreign remittance transfers unless they have verified that the sender is not an unauthorized alien” and requires five years of record keeping to ensure compliance.
This bill would take effect in April and violators would be subject to a fine equivalent to 25% of the illicit transfer.
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Politics
Gov. DeSantis decries Special Session ‘bait and switch’ as Legislature swerves his immigration wishlist
Gov. Ron DeSantis ripped what he sees as legislative rebellion against his raft of Special Session proposals, calling changes by leaders in the House and Senate insufficient and an insult to its presidential namesake.
“The Legislature’s bill is a bait-and-switch tactic trying to create the illusion of an illegal immigration crack down, when it does anything but. It is an insult to name such a weak bill after President Donald Trump, who has been so strong on this issue,” said DeSantis on X Monday.
The Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act — the TRUMP Act — is a single bill that substitutes for much of what DeSantis wanted, but he lamented a lot of his wish list isn’t in the package.
“Overall, their new bill is substantially weaker than the proposals I outlined and that are necessary to ensure that Florida leads on fulfilling the Trump Administration’s mandate to enforce immigration law and deport illegal aliens,” DeSantis decried.
“It fails to put an enforceable duty on state & local law enforcement to fully cooperate on illegal immigration enforcement. This means that Florida localities will provide no meaningful assistance to federal efforts,” he added, before casting shade at who can best be described as the Governor’s frenemy, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, suggesting he wouldn’t enforce immigration law.
“It unconstitutionally removes authority to enforce the law from the Governor to a lower-level cabinet agency, the Department of Agriculture, that does not oversee state law enforcement and whose stakeholders often oppose enforcement measures. By giving enforcement power to the agricultural arm of state government, it ensures that enforcement never actually occurs. In short, it puts the fox in charge of the henhouse.”
Senate President Ben Albritton took issue Monday with much of what DeSantis proposed for the Special Session as not in accordance with what the federal government under Trump wants.
“I don’t support creating criminal penalties against frontline law enforcement officers. I don’t support different standards for protecting law enforcement from the threat of prosecution. We shouldn’t protect some employees and contractors acting on behalf of the state while hanging local law enforcement out to dry,” Albritton said.
The Governor had blasted Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez for saying the Special Session call was “premature,” and he again attacked their alleged stalling Monday.
“Though the Florida Legislature’s leadership initially said the call for a Special Session on immigration enforcement was ‘premature,’ they have now finally agreed to come in and do their job,” DeSantis said.
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Gov. DeSantis decries Special Session ‘bait and switch’ as Legislature swerves his immigration wishlist
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