What DeSantis, Legislature truce means for immigrants
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Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican leaders in the state Legislature have reached an agreement on how to support President Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigration.
Why it matters: This immigration reform package is Florida's harshest yet, refusing undocumented immigrants bail, requiring the death penalty for capital crimes and narrowing protections for crime victims and witnesses.
- Past laws have made it harder for undocumented immigrants to live and work in the state. These new bills would make their encounters with law enforcement riskier.
Catch up quick: DeSantis and the Legislature sparred over the state's role in immigration enforcement for weeks — a spectacle that featured personal attacks and threats of congressional hearings.
The big picture: Now that the dust of disagreement has settled, what remains are measures affecting over a million immigrants, their families, and their communities, who have already reported strain.
- If enacted, undocumented students would no longer be eligible for in-state tuition — a move that would triple the cost of attendance at state universities and limit access to higher education.
- It also would make it a first-degree misdemeanor to enter or attempt to enter the state of Florida after illegally entering the U.S.
Zoom in: The legislation would create a State Board of Immigration Enforcement to serve as a "resource" for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to distribute grants to local police agencies.
- The bills would prohibit "sanctuary policies" that impede immigration enforcement and direct sheriffs to share inmates' immigration status with ICE. Noncompliance can result in fines and suspension.
- Police would be allowed to withhold victim or witness information from federal immigration authorities only if that person is deemed "necessary" to investigate or prosecute a crime.
- Courts would also be required to consider immigration status when setting bail, and undocumented immigrants charged with felonies would be barred from release before a first appearance hearing.
The bottom line: The political drama has apparently ended, but the real-world consequences for immigrant families are just beginning.