{"id":2398772,"date":"2025-02-04T14:26:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T19:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voters-arent-buying-florida-gopers-garbage-immigration-bill\/"},"modified":"2025-02-04T14:27:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T19:27:26","slug":"voters-arent-buying-florida-gopers-garbage-immigration-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voters-arent-buying-florida-gopers-garbage-immigration-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Voters Aren&#8217;t Buying Florida GOPers&#8217; Garbage Immigration Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvoters-arent-buying-florida-gopers-garbage-immigration-bill%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2398772&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In \u2063the aftermath \u200cof the 2024 election, a conflict has arisen within Florida&#8217;s GOP regarding immigration \u2062legislation. Governor Ron DeSantis is facing\u200c opposition from\u200d his own party&#8217;s leadership, notably House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton, who\u2064 have favored a diluted version of his proposed immigration bill. DeSantis\u2063 aimed for\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/osha-investigation-into-death-of-georgia-grain-silo-worker-finds-multiple-safety-violations\/\" title=\"OSHA probe reveals numerous safety breaches in Georgia grain silo worker&#039;s tragic death.\">stronger enforcement measures<\/a> that would align with the priorities of \u2062the Trump administration, such as\u200b increasing penalties for\u200d illegal immigration\u200c and enhancing cooperation with federal authorities. \u2064 <\/p>\n<p>However, the state&#8217;s legislative leaders dismissed his call \u2064for \u200da special session to address this issue, \u200clabeling it a &#8220;stunt&#8221; and\u2064 instead convened \u2064their own session to push through their less <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-warn-biden-choosing-border-security-over-dreamers-could-cost-him-election\/\" title=\"Democrats caution that Biden prioritizing border security over Dreamers may jeopardize his reelection chances\">stringent immigration measures<\/a>, misleadingly named the &#8220;TRUMP \u2064Act.&#8221; This \u2062new bill is\u200b criticized for weakening \u200dthe governor&#8217;s oversight of \u2063immigration enforcement by transferring power to the agriculture commissioner,\u200d which many view as problematic given \u2064the reliance of Florida&#8217;s agricultural\u200c sector\u200c on undocumented labor.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis has expressed strong opposition to the legislative leadership&#8217;s approach, claiming it could undermine effective immigration enforcement and promising to veto the bill.Various officials, including those\u2064 from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and\u2064 Motor Vehicles, have criticized the lack \u200dof consultation in the bill&#8217;s drafting and its restrictive nature on law enforcement\u200c capabilities. <\/p>\n<p>the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">ongoing struggle reflects deeper divisions<\/a> within the GOP in Florida and raises questions about the\u2062 party&#8217;s direction post-DeSantis. It underscores the tension between the establishment and the more \u200cpopulist segments \u2064represented by DeSantis \u2062and his agenda.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Weeks after the 2024 election, The Federalist&rsquo;s John Daniel Davidson <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/22\/the-gop-establishment-is-a-greater-threat-to-trumps-agenda-than-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">predicted<\/a> in these pages that the biggest impediment to President Donald Trump&rsquo;s agenda wouldn&rsquo;t be Democrats, &ldquo;but establishment Republicans.&rdquo; Not even a month into Trump&rsquo;s presidency, Davidson&rsquo;s forecast has come true in the form of Florida&rsquo;s GOP-controlled legislature.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the past several weeks, Gov. Ron DeSantis has been embroiled in a fight with his party&rsquo;s refusal to advance legislation instrumental in furthering the Trump administration&rsquo;s deportation of illegal aliens. Wanting to assist the president in his efforts, DeSantis called for a special session of the legislature earlier this month to pass <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/15\/desantis-rolls-out-legislative-blueprint-to-fast-track-trumps-deportation-operations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enforcement measures<\/a> that would increase penalties for illegals, enhance cooperation between local and state authorities with federal immigration authorities, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Florida&rsquo;s GOP legislative leadership could have easily concurred with the governor and acted to fulfill the &ldquo;America First&rdquo; mandate Floridians and Americans writ large voted for. Instead, they&rsquo;ve taken it upon themselves to play political games over the matter.<\/p>\n<p>After issuing a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Daniel_PerezFL\/status\/1878933099729547734\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a> calling DeSantis&rsquo; request for a special session &ldquo;premature,&rdquo; House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/desantis-slams-floridas-legislature-for-trying-to-sabotage-pro-trump-immigration-bill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gaveled<\/a> into their own special session last week to ram through their preferred immigration legislation. Perez even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tallahassee.com\/story\/news\/local\/state\/2025\/01\/27\/legislature-desantis-rebuke-session\/77928497007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">referred<\/a> to DeSantis&rsquo; call for a special session as a &ldquo;stunt.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As it turns out, however, it appears the only &ldquo;stunt&rdquo; being pulled is that by Perez, Albritton, and their GOP establishment allies, who have put forward a bill (deceptively named the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flhouse.gov\/Sections\/Bills\/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=80842\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRUMP Act<\/a>&ldquo;) that <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GovRonDeSantis\/status\/1884047188931609006\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seemingly<\/a> contains much weaker provisions than those requested by DeSantis.<\/p>\n<p>Chief among the measure&rsquo;s contents is a concerning provision that seeks to effectively <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wptv.com\/news\/palm-beach-county\/region-c-palm-beach-county\/gov-ron-desantis-palm-beach-county-1-30-25\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">strip<\/a> oversight of immigration enforcement from the governor and give it to the state&rsquo;s agriculture commissioner, who would be designated as Florida&rsquo;s &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/28\/from-florida-to-texas-red-state-republicans-are-subverting-america-first-priorities-across-the-country\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chief immigration officer<\/a>.&rdquo; The position is currently held by Wilton Simpson, a former Florida Senate president who&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.orlandoweekly.com\/news\/new-florida-immigration-law-could-have-unintended-consequences-says-agriculture-commissioner-34780754\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a>&nbsp;owns a large egg farm and previously expressed concern that a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/red-state-republicans-are-subverting-america-first-priorities\/\" title=\"&#039;Red ... Republicans Are Subverting America First Priorities\">2023 state immigration bill including restrictions<\/a> for employing foreign nationals could produce &ldquo;unintended consequences&rdquo; for businesses reliant on illegal immigrant labor.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/farmonaut.com\/usa\/floridas-agricultural-sector-faces-immigration-enforcement-shift-impacts-on-farming-communities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Some<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.floridapolicy.org\/posts\/florida-hb-1617-sb-1718-potential-economic-and-fiscal-impact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a> estimate between 40 to 50 percent of Florida&rsquo;s agricultural industry is reliant on illegal immigrant workers. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s like the fox guarding the hen house,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theblaze.com\/shows\/the-glenn-beck-program\/ron-desantis-rips-florida-rinos-for-misleading-trump-act-that-works-against-mass-deportations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> DeSantis, who has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6368143334112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pledged<\/a> to veto the bill. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen our base react more negatively on an issue than what the legislature is trying to pull right now. It is like 99 to 1 in terms of opposition.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>During his time in the legislature, Simpson notably supported measures <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flsenate.gov\/Session\/Bill\/2013\/235\/?Tab=BillHistory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">giving<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.governing.com\/archive\/mct-dream-act-drivers-license-bill-vetoed.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">temporary driver&rsquo;s licenses<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.presidentsalliance.org\/floridas-in-state-tuition-for-dreamers-what-you-need-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in-state tuition<\/a> rates to certain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flsenate.gov\/Session\/Bill\/2014\/0851\/?Tab=BillHistory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">foreign nationals<\/a>. As Senate president (2020-2022), he also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/elections\/florida-republicans-back-standoff-desantis-congressional-map-rcna23948\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fought<\/a>&nbsp;DeSantis over the governor&rsquo;s veto of a congressional map approved by the GOP-controlled legislature. Despite objections from GOP legislative leadership, the map put forward by DeSantis and ultimately approved by the legislature &ldquo;netted Florida Republicans four additional congressional seats on Election Day [2022] and essentially helped the GOP win the tiny House majority,&rdquo; according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2022\/11\/17\/ron-desantis-maps-gop-congress-house-florida-00066305\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Politico<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Here is the rundown of the differences between a strong immigration response (our proposals) and the watered-down smoke-and-mirrors bill (championed by FL legislative leaders): <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GZpWq7OM6b\">pic.twitter.com\/GZpWq7OM6b<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovRonDeSantis\/status\/1884047188931609006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>It&rsquo;s not just DeSantis who is speaking out on the bill&rsquo;s weak points, however. <\/p>\n<p>Leaders from Florida&rsquo;s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theblaze.com\/news\/another-florida-agency-says-gop-state-legislature-not-being-honest-about-weak-immigration-bill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a>, as described by The Blaze, &ldquo;the legislature&rsquo;s bill handcuffs their [immigration] enforcement effort,&rdquo; and &ldquo;the GOP leadership did not consult them when drafting the legislation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This [bill] would take [away] our ability to interact with DEA, ICE, what have you, and that full spectrum of federal law enforcement, and we would have to go through an additional layer of an agency, through the office of immigration enforcement,&rdquo; FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner told lawmakers last week. &ldquo;This language is very limiting.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Florida&rsquo;s Department of Law Enforcement also <a href=\"https:\/\/flvoicenews.com\/law-enforcement-agencies-say-legislature-didnt-consult-them-on-immigration-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> it was not contacted for input on the legislature&rsquo;s bill. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">DeSantis&#8217;s highway patrol director just made the point that the amnesty bill passed by the FL legislature PROHIBITS all communication with ICE outside of the new AG commissioner&#8217;s office (a man who supports illegal immigration). This is even worse than I thought. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4374B8Lkm5\">pic.twitter.com\/4374B8Lkm5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RMConservative\/status\/1884615434609086694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>None of this has stopped Perez and his allies from deploying numerous tactics to try and deceive voters about the dispute&rsquo;s finer details. From attempting to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Daniel_PerezFL\/status\/1884430186512367910\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hide behind<\/a> Trump&rsquo;s name to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/VoteRandyFine\/status\/1884800005334094106\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">labeling<\/a> DeSantis a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JuanPorrasFL\/status\/1885006987328376872\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">RINO<\/a>,&rdquo; the establishment&rsquo;s antics have been nothing short of remarkable.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding Perez, the GOP speaker has attempted to cast DeSantis as a villain for opposing his bill, which he <a href=\"https:\/\/floridianpress.com\/2025\/02\/speaker-daniel-perez-says-desantiss-illegal-immigration-proposal-is-weak-on-crime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">argues<\/a> &ldquo;gives the death penalty to any illegal immigrant that commits murder, that rapes children.&rdquo; (DeSantis already <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2023\/05\/01\/ron-desantis-bill-authorizing-death-penalty-for-child-rapists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed<\/a> a law nearly two years ago that authorizes the death penalty for individuals convicted of child rape).<\/p>\n<p>Perez also <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepMikeCaruso\/status\/1886554783005466680\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> stripped GOP Rep. Mike Caruso &mdash; the only House Republican to vote against leadership&rsquo;s bill &mdash; of his subcommittee chairmanship, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/fineout\/status\/1886529120458379484\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Politico<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Contrary to what they&rsquo;re hearing in their Tallahassee echo chamber, the Florida GOP establishment isn&rsquo;t fooling anyone. Voters are wise to Perez and Co.&rsquo;s charade and recognize this &ldquo;stunt&rdquo; is no different than those <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/06\/nothing-about-the-rigged-senate-border-bill-is-in-the-national-interest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">regularly pulled<\/a> by Republicans on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n<p>This latest dust-up is a clear indication that Florida&rsquo;s feckless Republican legislative leaders believe they can return the Sunshine State to status quo politics once DeSantis leaves office in early 2027. If voters wish to maintain the free and prosperous society resulting from their governor&rsquo;s bold leadership, they have an obligation to make their voices heard and put these establishment cronies on notice. <\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<hr>\n<p>      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Weeks after the 2024 election, The Federalist&#8217;s John Daniel Davidson predicted that establishment Republicans would hinder Trump&#8217;s agenda more than Democrats. This has been evident in Florida&#8217;s GOP-controlled legislature, where Gov. Ron DeSantis has faced resistance in advancing key immigration legislation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2398773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Daniel-Perez.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[5113,6203,3813,4762,4223],"class_list":["post-2398772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-florida","tag-gop","tag-immigration","tag-legislation","tag-voters"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Daniel-Perez.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2398772"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2398776,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398772\/revisions\/2398776"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2398773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2398772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2398772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2398772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}