Florida Republicans are pursuing tougher immigration enforcement measures and sparking debate on the best approach to addressing the issue. Democrat lawmakers are divided on how to respond by supporting stricter enforcement and others’ defending federal solutions.
Since President Donald Trump’s first execution in 2016, one consistent message from President Donald Trump has been the widespread crackdown on illegal immigration. He won Florida with ever-growing margins with that message, including acquiring Hispanic and foreign-born voters.
The same applies to Gov. Ron DeSantis. Ron DeSantis has announced the central issues heading into office for the past two years, calling for special sessions to impose new penalties on illegal immigrants and increase cooperation with federal immigration enforcement officials.
But Florida Democrats struggle with how to deal with the issue, despite Republicans engaged in public battles among themselves and sometimes reversed their positions and laws. I’ve done it. Meanwhile, Florida Republicans were zooming them with their voter registration numbers.
Most of the amendments proposed by Democrats in last week’s special session tried to ease strict enforcement measures pushed by the GOP.
However, Jason Pizzo, Senate Democrat leader in North Miami, also said he was a federal man who would check the legal status of future employers, rather than employees with more than 25 employees under current law. We asked for modifications that required all companies to use the program e-verify.
“If more than 90% of wages earned in this state can go to illegal aliens without checks or action, then we’re not serious about fighting illegal immigration,” Pizzo, the Democratic candidate for governor in 2026, said in 2026. I stated.
His corrections were ruled as “breakdowns” and he didn’t vote for the Senate floor.
Tampa House Democrat leader Fentris Driskel said Pizzo’s amendment attempted to highlight Republican hypocrisy and didn’t actually want to resolve the issue of illegal immigration. However, Desantis says it is in favor of expanding the e-Verify requirements to all businesses.
“We can thank leader Pizzo for what he was trying to do. It was saying, ‘What’s good for geese is good for Gander, so don’t choose winners or losers here.” Doriskel told reporters last week. “But I think it was very clear that Democrats would say, ‘Florida, you’re moving the wrong way.’ ”
Some Democrats move to the right centrally on Touchstone issues
Pizzo revealed he supports stricter immigration enforcement.
He voted for the bill to enter the state as an undocumented immigrant (SB 2C) to commit a crime that served nine months’ prison terms, which increased penalties for other crimes committed by illegal immigrants. He said he would do it. Problem: It also abolished in-state tuition fees for undocumented students brought to the state as children.
Pizzo criticized the law not being fully advanced, saying he “don’t do much.”
But other Democrats fear the bill is going too far.
D-Tampa’s MP Dianne Hart said legal immigrants in her district, including Jamaicans and Haitians, were “petted” after being caught up in the immigrant sweep. Other Democrats worry about Spanish speakers and Hispanics being racially introduced by local police, while schools and churches will be attacked by law enforcement.
Democrats also stressed that immigration is a federal issue, lamenting the bipartisan Congressional Immigration Reform bill that was hampered by then-Candication Trump in 2024.
“We didn’t go anywhere because we didn’t have a common will to actually solve the problem,” said Parkland’s Rep. Christine Hnszkovsky, who will become the next Democratic leader in the House after Driskel. “This is when Congress finally needs to come in and do work.”
Florida Republicans moved to act on immigrants in the Trump election
Trump’s victory has spurred Republicans’ actions on the issue.
Last month, Congress passed the Lakeken Riley Act, named after a University of Georgia student who was killed in February 2024 by illegal immigrants who were previously accused of shoplifting. The law requires undocumented immigrants who were first signed in his second term when Trump took office but have been accused of crimes related to theft or being detained by a police officer.
The bill received 46 votes from U.S. House Democrats and 12 votes from U.S. Senate Democrats.
And while Democrats didn’t vote for the bill passed in last week’s special session, Republicans noticed a shift in rhetorical approach from Democrats. Many acknowledged that illegal immigration in Florida was a problem.
“It’s nice to hear everyone in the room thinks we have a crisis,” said Rep. Lawrence McClure of R-Dover, who sponsored last week’s version of the law at home. “Now we’re just having a conversation about how to solve it.”
But for many Democrats, the solution should come from the federal government. They say they are putting nearly $300 million into more immigration enforcement at the local and state level, as with the new law, waste resources while distracting from more important issues. .
“This past election cycle, the fate of 2024, has really won and lost on economic issues. People were worried about egg prices and inflation. Immigration was a problem, but that’s the main problem. It wasn’t,” Driskel said.
“We are focusing on things that aren’t that important to Floridians, and we are focusing on building mountains out of Morehill and trying to blow away fears about our community.
This story contains previously published material. Gray Rohrer is a reporter for the USA Today Network-Florida Capital Bureau and can visit grohrer@gannett.com. USA Today Network’s State Watchdog Reporter AnaGoñi-Lessan-Florida can visit agonilessan@gannett.com.
