Florida would have a new Chief Immigration Officer to coordinate with the federal government to crack down on illegal immigration under legislation proposed Monday during a special session in Tallahassee.
The new CIO would be the state Agriculture Commissioner.
Under House Bill 1-B, put forward by Rep. Lawrence McClure, a Republican from Plant City, and Senate Bill 2-B, co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Joe Gruters of Sarasota and Randy Fine of Melbourne, the state would create a new Office of State Immigration Enforcement.
The agency, which would be funded with up to $515 million in state taxpayer money, would work with federal officials to fast-track President Trump’s recent executive orders.
The money would go to hire more local law-enforcement officers, lease vacant facilities in the state to help federal ICE agents house more deportees, and end in-state tuition for college students who are in the country unlawfully.
“We need a singular point of focus in state government for coordinating immigration,’’ House Speaker Daniel Perez, a Miami Republican, told lawmakers in providing an overview of the bill. “We need an agency with broad reach in the state and experience working with the federal government and with law enforcement.’’
The announcement came during the early minutes of a special session of the Legislature that had been called by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this month. DeSantis charged the legislature with passing laws that would help President Trump enforce his sweeping immigration policies.
But lawmakers quickly batted down the governor’s proposals, adjourned and then immediately reopened a new “Special Session B’’ with Perez criticizing DeSantis for trying to force ideas on lawmakers that were too narrow and bureaucratic. In another move to assert its independence, the House and Senate also quickly voted to override DeSantis’ line item veto last summer of about $57 million in operational funding for the Legislature.
After adjourning the Special Session B, lawmakers went into committee to hash out the details of their proposed immigration bill. The Legislature reconvenes for Day 2 on Tuesday morning and Perez promises to wrap up the session by Wednesday.
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