DeSantis calls for federal reform allowing states to deport illegal aliens
Amber Cooper contributed to this report.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FLV) – At an anti-illegal immigration bill signing, Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a federal reform that would enable state governments more authority in handling illegal immigrants.
Under current federal law, states cannot unilaterally deport those present in the U.S. for being there illegally. Local law enforcement can turn them over to federal authorities, who then process the person’s legal status and determine whether they’ll be deported.
DeSantis called to “deputize” the states with respect to illegal immigration.
“States are limited in terms of what they do,” he said. “I think a good reform federally would be deputize states to enforce immigration law. Texas should be able to send them back to Mexico, or back to these other countries.”
The governor slammed President Joe Biden’s administration’s use of “catch-and-release.”
“You shouldn’t have to turn them over to border patrol and then Biden orders them released back into our own country,” DeSantis said. “Of course more people are going to come if that’s the case […] I wish states would be deputized to do more.”
On the bill being signed, DeSantis said Florida is doing “the limit of what states can do.”
“I think the problem was as people come, they get interdicted, then you turn them over to border patrol and border patrol, just releases them into our country anyways,” he said. “And so you’re thinking to yourself, why is that a great use of our resources?”
The law makes changes to E-Verify, adds more money for an illegal immigration transportation program and increases penalties for human smuggling.
Rep. Berny Jacques, R-Seminole, and Rep. Kiyan Michael, R-Jacksonville, carried the legislation in the House. Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, sponsored the legislation in the Senate.
It includes $12 million from the general fund for an illegal immigration program that DeSantis used to send migrants to Martha’s Vineyard last year.
Under current law, E-Verify is only mandated for public employers and their contractors. The bill would change the requirement to mandate employers with more than 25 employees use E-Verify. Those with less than 25 employees would need to use the current I-9 process.
If the Department of Economic Opportunity finds that an employer did not use the E-Verify system, then the company could face a fine of $1,000 per day until the situation is resolved.
