‘Great discussions’ between Gov. DeSantis, Legislature could lead to immigration compromise

Gov. Ron DeSantis corroborates a Congressmember’s claim that he and the House and Senate are moving forward on a consensus product addressing illegal immigration.

“We’ve had great discussions. I think we’re going to land the plane. So I don’t necessarily have an announcement now, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to get there,” DeSantis told reporters Monday in Tallahassee.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna had said the “legislature is in discussions with DeSantis and they should be reaching an agreement soon. I hope they keep immigration authority with the Gov. Hearing the new version is WAY better than the 1.0.”

DeSantis expects a product that shows the legislative commitment to “aggressively address illegal immigration” and that last week’s discord was an “aberration.”

“I give credit to a lot of the members. They’re listening to the voters. Voters have been very, very firm on what they expect. And so when you’re elected, you listen to the people that sent you there and you make sure that your’re following through with that. So I do think that you’re going to see that plane land. It’s all about the policy,”  DeSantis said.

A major bone of contention: the Governor wants to control the fight against illegal immigration. The TRUMP Act passed by the Legislature, which DeSantis said he would veto, instead gives authority to Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

The brewing compromise represents a thawing of rhetorical ice in recent days.

DeSantis has balked at how the TRUMP Act “takes away the Governor’s authority … takes power away from me,” while House Speaker Daniel Perez said DeSantis wants to be “deporter-in-chief.”

The Governor envisions a big spend to fight illegal immigration in the next budget.

“DeSantis recommends $505 million and 15 FTE (full-time employees) in the current year for the Division of Emergency Management and $4.4 million and 21 FTE to establish a Special Immigration Unit at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to immediately assist the federal administration’s enforcement of illegal immigration,” a memo released Sunday reads.