Third time's the charm? Florida lawmakers go back to Capitol for new immigration session
The renewed effort comes weeks after lawmakers failed to coalesce around dueling plans to anoint Gov. Ron DeSantis and Agriculture Secretary Wilton Simpson, the state's 'immigration czar.'
The one thing lawmakers did agree on: the need to show strength as President Trump pursues a furious push to show America will not tolerate illegal border crossings any longer.
The new bill acts as a compromise. It will create a Board of Immigration Enforcement that will consist of the governor and all three cabinet members. Any actions by the board must come from a unanimous vote.
The board will also be backed by a council of police chiefs and sheriffs picked by each member of the board and legislative leaders.
Some of the bill's provisions include:
Mandatory maximum penalties, including the death penalty, for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes
Denying bail for most undocumented immigrants who are arrested
Making illegally crossing the border a misdemeanor, punishable by nine months in jail on first offense and a year in jail for repeat offenders
Creating a third-degree felony for anyone caught helping an undocumented immigrant vote
Stripping in-state tuition waivers for undocumented immigrants, including so-called 'Dreamers' brought to the US as children. Current waivers would be canceled as of July 1
Leasing out unused jail cells to Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Compelling local governments to enforce immigration laws and creating a $5,000 fine for any local official who willfully disregards the state's direction
Banning undocumented immigrants from obtaining driver's licenses
Banning licenses given to undocumented immigrants by other states
The bills create one important carve-out: immigrants who are witnesses and victims of crimes would not have their statuses reported to ICE agents to protect them from being taken advantage of by criminals.
The bills also allocate more than $250 million to start up the effort, most of which comes from costs to set up grants for law enforcement who participate in immigration enforcement efforts.
Most of the provisions are similar to what was proposed by the legislature when it bucked the governor's call for a special session, with the exception of the power-sharing structure.
The governor and legislative leaders quickly hailed the new bills Monday.
'I commend the legislature for stepping up to the plate. If they're able to pass the proposals as presented now, they can expect my strong support,' DeSantis said in a selfie-style video posted to X. 'Now is the time for us to get this done. We've been talking about this issue for years and years and years. Now we have a mandate.'
Democrats, who briefly thought they held the keys to getting a bill passed during the Republicans' infighting last month, criticized the 11th-hour nature of the proposals and the call to return to Tallahassee.
They also condemned the cancellation of tuition waivers for young immigrants.
'While families are struggling with skyrocketing housing costs, unaffordable property insurance, and stagnant wages, Republican leadership is more focused on attacking immigrants and rolling back opportunities for Dreamers,' State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) said in a text message. 'This is not how we should be governing.'
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Newsweek
24 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Map Shows Democratic Plan for New California Districts
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"I fully expect that the beautiful 3rd District will remain exactly as it is. We will defeat Newsom's sham initiative and vindicate the will of California voters." Kiley has opposed gerrymandering, introducing legislation to block mid-decade redistricting. Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Ami Bera, who represents California's 6th congressional district, is weighing options to continue representing Sacramento, possibly by running in District 3. A redistricting map of California that Democrats have submitted. A redistricting map of California that Democrats have submitted. California State Assembly "I have had the honor of representing the Sacramento region in Congress since 2013. I intend to continue representing the Sacramento region in the next Congress," Bera said in a statement posted on X. "Right now, we must stop Donald Trump and Texas Republicans from gerrymandering their way to a House majority in 2026. 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Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
The Tribune's Quotes of the Week quiz for Aug. 16
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The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Texas Democrats poised to end standoff: 5 things to know
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But by fleeing the state, they hoped to raise national attention over the issue and inspire Democrat-led states to move forward with their own new maps. In both cases, they succeeded. The Texas Democrats' decision to leave made the redistricting battle a national story. And now California is moving forward with its own effort to rewrite its congressional lines in the hopes of counteracting the Texas GOP. Other blue states may soon follow. The Texas Democrats also wanted to hold out until the first special session came to an end, which it did on Friday. They cited both that and California's decision to move forward with redistricting as its preconditions for coming home. The developments allow Democrats to frame the outcome as a victory, even if Republicans will also tout their return as a win. There were also other financial and political risks for the Democrats. They've been forced to parry Republican criticism that they're holding up other legislative business — including disaster relief for Texas affected by recent floods — by staying out-of-state. And each quorum breaker has been racking up $500-a-day fines for their absence, on top of threats of removal and arrest, as well as the logistical cost of living away from their homes. What does it mean for the new Texas maps? The new GOP-friendly maps are almost certain to pass once the Democrats return to the state. Even as they remained out of state, a set of new congressional lines passed in the state Senate, while an identical set of lines were also approved by a state House committee. House Republicans couldn't bring the new map to a floor vote in the lower chamber, however, until the Democrats returned. With the Democrats expected to return to the state, Republicans will have the quorum needed to hold a vote on and pass their map. The map would go next to Abbott for his signature before the new congressional lines are enacted. Texas Democrats knew they would inevitably return to the state since Abbott had threatened to call special session after special session until they returned. Democrats had no options available for blocking the new map from passing, since Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and the GOP also has a Republican governor. How are both sides spinning it? Republicans are touting their return as a win, since it means they will be able to move forward with passing new congressional lines. But Democrats are celebrating the outcome as a political victory too. 'Abbott thought he could silence Black and Latino Texans with his redistricting scheme. He was wrong. We fought back — now other states, starting with California, will neutralize their power grab,' the Texas House Democrats said in a statement posted on X. National Democrats also hailed it as a win that Republicans were unable to pass their new House map during the first special session. 'Under threats to their safety and livelihood, Texas Democrats have continued to deny Republicans a quorum to enact their rigged maps and ignited a national Democratic movement,' Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. 'From California to Washington, D.C, Democrats will continue to stand with the American people and the people of Texas as we battle against Trump and Republicans' anti-democratic attacks,' he added. But the White House is also pushing other states like Indiana and Missouri to redraw their maps as well – raising questions over how many states will ultimately get involved in the fight and have the upper hand. What does it mean for the wider redistricting battle? The redistricting battle in Texas has turned into a nationwide war, and that's unlikely to change anytime soon. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) wants to hold a special election in November to ask voters to weigh in on a ballot measure allowing the state legislature to redraw the state's congressional maps for the rest of the decade. 'I hope we are waking up to this reality. Wake up, America. Wake up to what Donald Trump is doing,' Newsom said at a Thursday event on the effort. 'Wake up to his assault, wake up to the assault on institutions and knowledge and history. Wake up to his war on science, public health and his war on the American people.' California Democrats released their proposed new map, which targets five Republican incumbents, on Friday night. Other states are also considering jumping into the fray. Ohio is already set to redistrict due to state requirements, and Republicans in Florida and Missouri have suggested they'll be revisiting their maps, too. Other blue states like New York and Illinois are also weighing redistricting now. Is it really the end of the fight in Texas? The next front in the Texas redistricting battle is likely to play out in the courts. As the Democrats' statement noted on Thursday, their legal counsel has advised them to 'return to Texas to build a strong public legislative record for the upcoming legal battle against a map that violates both the current Voting Rights Act and the Constitution.' 'We will return to the House floor and to the courthouse with a clear message: the fight to protect voting rights has only just begun,' it added. Democratic groups are likely to file a lawsuit once Texas passes its new map. If that battle plays out in state courts, it will almost certainly fail since the Texas Supreme Court has a conservative majority. If it were to somehow play out in federal court, it's not as clear-cut, given the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled favorably for Democrats in the past over the Voting Rights Act. At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court still enjoys a conservative majority.
