Larry Keefe, a familiar name in Gov. DeSantis administration, gets new job

Larry Keefe appoints Andrew Grogan, who will overse cases of voter fraud.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Cabinet have appointed Larry Keefe to be the new Executive Director for the State Board of Immigration Enforcement as the state adds more resources to fight illegal immigration.

DeSantis signed an immigration package last week which created the Board made up of DeSantis, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and others to coordinate with the federal government on illegal immigration. The move was a compromise by DeSantis and GOP legislative leaders, splitting the power to lead the immigration fight.

Keefe had previously worked under DeSantis as his public safety czar and was involved in the controversial plan to fly dozens of Venezuelan refugees to Martha’s Vineyard on chartered flights in 2022. Keefe also was a U.S. Attorney in North Florida under President Donald Trump’s first term.

“He knows well the expectations of the federal government, has the relationships, the intellect and undoubtedly, the work ethic to get the job done,” newly sworn-in Attorney General James Uthmeier said during Monday’s emergency meeting in Niceville.

Keefe’s role will be overseeing more than $200 million in state grants for local enforcement and working with county Sheriffs and local Police Chiefs to curb illegal immigration.

Keefe told the Governor and his Cabinet that he was honored by the job and pledged to be “relentless.”

“This is a perfect job,” Keefe said. “It blends federal, state and local, getting people to work together with a great sense of urgency, tearing down barriers.”

He said he would make the Governor proud.

Keefe’s new role comes after DeSantis has tried passing some of the toughest laws to back up Trump’s mass deportation plans.

The newest state law makes sweeping changes, including making it a state crime for entering Florida illegally and requiring the death penalty for undocumented migrants convicted of murder, raping a child or other capital offenses.

Florida also now requires local communities to cooperate with federal immigration officials. Starting in July, the state will revoke in-state tuition rates from undocumented students, known as the Dreamers, currently enrolled in Florida’s public schools and universities.

“My John Hancock probably isn’t fully dry from signing that bill last week. And yet, here we are with an emergency meeting, because we’re serious about it,” DeSantis said Monday.

Democrats accused Republicans of not doing enough to end illegal immigration by targeting the root of the problem: the employers hiring undocumented workers. The minority party also pleaded with Republicans to protect the Dreamers’ in-state tuition, but Republicans were unmoved.