Florida Lawmakers Head To Tallahassee For Special Session Monday

The Florida legislature is set to meet for a special session on Monday. This comes after a call from Governor Ron Desantis a week before President Donald Trump took office.

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The big topic is expected to be immigration. “Are you supposed to sit there and wait till somebody is victimized? No, you’re illegal,” said Desantis during a press conference this week.

“Your entry into our state was a crime. We get that on the books and then we send you back home where you belong.”

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The agenda for the special session is largely related to this topic, as the governor has promised that Florida will lead the way in cracking down on illegal immigration and being closely aligned with the federal government.

Just in his first days in office, President Donald Trump signed several immigration-related executive orders. Those included ending birthright citizenship and rolling back on protections that prevented undocumented immigrants from being arrested in so-called “safe locations,” like churches or schools.

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Ahead of the special session, Democratic leaders in Florida are promising to fight back. “Immigrants are essential to Florida’s economy, contributing to key industries like tourism, agriculture, and construction,” said Rep. Anna V. Eskemani, State House Representative for District 42. “Targeting these communities is not just cruel, but it’s bad for business.”

One of the agenda items calls for cooperation with federal agents and would require each state and county law enforcement agency with more than 25 officers to participate in Immigration and Customs Enforcement programs.

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Other items on the agenda include a new push to end in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants – currently, undocumented residents are allowed to go to any state institution, such as Valencia College or UCF, and pay as Florida residents.

A second item would empower the governor to suspend any elected or appointed official who refuses to comply with the new immigration guidelines.

The special session is set to kick off at 10:30 Monday morning.

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