Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, speaks as Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, right, listens before President-elect Donald Trump talks at a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The governor wants to mandate that Florida's counties and cities participate in the federal deportation program and wants the power to suspend officials who do not comply. He is also proposing to make it a state crime to enter the nation illegally, and he wants to mandate that people show identification and their immigration status before sending money back home.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MOVES QUICKLY ON IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT
"We've got to make sure that we are working hand-in-hand with the Trump administration," DeSantis emphasized last week in an interview on Fox News' "Ingraham Angle."
He added that the special legislative session would help "to facilitate the Trump administration's mission."
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, center, speaks at a campaign stop in Hampton, New Hampshire, on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
However, the pushback by GOP state lawmakers over the calling of the special session is a dramatic turn of events for DeSantis, who long enjoyed massive influence over the Florida legislature, especially after his nearly 20-point re-election in 2022.
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Following his unsuccessful 2024 White House bid, the lame duck governor does not appear to have the same clout over lawmakers that he once enjoyed.
Pushing back against opposition to his plans, DeSantis has warned that any lawmaker who stood in his way over the special session would pay a political price.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/desantis-faces-gop-resistance-special-legislative-session-immigration-starts-today