Highlights:
DeSantis expressed openness to using drone strikes and deadly force against Mexican drug cartels.
DeSantis Signed Anti-Immigration Legislation Which Cracked Down On Migrant Labor And Identification Cards, Toughened Penalties For Transporting Undocumented Into State. According to the Miami Herald, “As the Biden administration prepares to lift a pandemic-era rule that could bring a surge of migrants to the southwest border, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed an immigration legislative package that underscores the political tensions between the White House and the Republican governor as he prepares to run for president. With the new piece of legislation, DeSantis said Florida will be cracking down on undocumented migrant labor, ending community-funded programs that give undocumented immigrants identification cards and toughening penalties against those who transport undocumented immigrants into the state.” [Miami Herald, 5/10/23]
The Bill Would Require Hospitals That Accept Medicaid To Ask Patients Their Immigration Status. According to the Miami Herald, “Requires Florida hospitals that accept Medicaid to ask patients about their immigration status when they fill out an intake form. The data will be reported to the Agency of Health Care Administration, which is part of the DeSantis administration.” [Miami Herald, 5/10/23]
The Bill Barred Local Governments From Spending Funds On Community ID Programs ,Which Benefited People Who Could Not Prove Their Citizenship. According to the Miami Herald, “Bars local governments from spending taxpayer dollars on community ID programs that benefit people who cannot provide proof of citizenship, including undocumented immigrants and homeless individuals. Currently, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach fund such programs.” [Miami Herald, 5/10/23]
The Bill Would Require Employers With More Than 25 Employees To Use E-Verify. According to the Miami Herald, “Beginning July 1, private employers with 25 or more employees will be required to use the federal electronic system, E-Verify, to check the immigration status of all workers. The law offers a carve-out for employees who temporary workers and independent contractors.” [Miami Herald, 5/10/23]
The Bill Provided A Carve-Out For Temporary Employees And Independent Contractors. According to the Miami Herald, “Beginning July 1, private employers with 25 or more employees will be required to use the federal electronic system, E-Verify, to check the immigration status of all workers. The law offers a carve-out for employees who temporary workers and independent contractors.” [Miami Herald, 5/10/23]
The Bill Increased Penalties For Human-Trafficking Offenses To Third-Degree Felony If The Person Transported An Undocumented Person. According to the Miami Herald, “Increases penalties for human-smuggling offenses. A person would commit a third-degree felony if he or she ‘knowingly and willfully’ transports an undocumented immigrant into the state.” [Miami Herald, 5/10/23]
The Bill Required Law Enforcement To Obtain DNA From Anyone In Custody, Would Be Subject To U.S. Immigration Detainer. According to the Miami Herald, “Requires law enforcement agencies to obtain a DNA sample from anyone who is in custody and is subject to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement immigration detainer, even if they have not been convicted of a crime.” [Miami Herald, 5/10/23]
The Bill Repealed Scott-Era Law That Allowed Undocumented Law School Graduates From Admissions To The Florida Bar. According to the Miami Herald, “Repeals a law signed by former Republican Gov. Rick Scott that allows undocumented law school graduates admission to The Florida Bar.” [Miami Herald, 5/10/23]
The Bill Would Invalidate Driver’s Licenses Issued By Another State To Undocumented People. According to the Miami Herald, “Invalidates a driver’s license issued by another state to someone who who is unable to prove ‘lawful presence in the United States.’” [Miami Herald, 5/10/23]
The Bill Provided $12 Million To DeSantis’ Migrant Relocation Program. According to the Miami Herald, “Provides $12 million to the DeSantis immigration program to relocate undocumented immigrants anywhere in the country.” [Miami Herald, 5/10/23]
Lawsuit Was Brought Forward By The American Immigration Council, Americans For Immigrant Justice, Southern Poverty Law Center, And The ACLU Foundation Of Florida On Behalf Of Farmworkers Association Of Florida. According to Politico, “The lawsuit was brought by several groups, including the American Immigration Council, Americans for Immigrant Justice, Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU Foundation of Florida on behalf of Farmworkers Association of Florida, a non-profit farmworker membership organization with nearly 12,000 members who are both documented and undocumented.” [Politico, 7/17/23]
The Groups Argued The Bill Should Be Considered Unconstitutional Because It Went “Far Beyond” Federal Immigration Policies, Unlawfully Empowered State Officials. According to Politico, “The groups contend Florida’s law should be considered unconstitutional for going ‘far beyond’ federal immigration policies and ‘penalizing a wide array of conduct that Congress chose not to prohibit.’ ‘It impedes the federal immigration scheme by preventing immigrants from entering Florida,’ the lawsuit alleges. ‘And it puts state officials in the unlawful position of making complex determinations about people’s immigration status and history.’” [Politico, 7/17/23]
The Groups Argued The Bill “Inflicts Enormous Harm On People’s Ability To Go About Their Daily Lives.” According to Politico, “Several groups sued the DeSantis administration Monday over Florida’s latest anti-immigration law, arguing that it ‘inflicts enormous harm on people’s ability to go about their daily lives.’ Filed in Miami federal court, the lawsuit targets the wide-ranging immigration policies enacted by Florida earlier this year at the behest of Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate who regularly criticizes how President Joe Biden is dealing with the surge of migrants crossing into the U.S. at the southern border. In challenging the new law, the groups are seeking to block the state from enforcing it on the grounds that it could impede federal immigration authorities and lead to ‘unlawful arrest, prosecution, and harassment.’” [Politico, 7/17/23]
Public Records Revealed The State Had Only Charged Three People For Transporting Undocumented People. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “Touted as the most effective and ambitious immigration measure in the nation by supporters, SB 1718 also came with its share of criticism when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law earlier this year. Much of the backlash was aimed at a part of the law that imposed felony charges for transporting immigrants without legal status into Florida. Three months after the law went into effect, how many people have been charged with the new crime? The total — so far — is three, according to records from the state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. All three criminal cases were in August and involved two Mexican nationals and one Honduran, according to documents obtained by the Tampa Bay Times via a records request. According to police records, one trooper in Hernando County arrested two of the drivers, while the third was arrested in Sumter County.” [Tampa Bay Times, 10/4/23]
Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Called For Americans To Not Vote For DeSantis, Specifically Citing His Anti-Immigrant Bill. According to the Associated Press, “Mexico’s president called on U.S. citizens Monday not to vote for Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis because of his state’s enactment of a tough immigration bill. The comments about the Florida law, which the Mexican government has said is likely to cause discrimination against migrants, marks President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s second recent break with Mexico’s tradition of non-intervention in the politics of other countries. In March, he called Peru’s government racist and illegitimate. ‘We could not remain silent,’ López Obrador said of the Florida law at news conference Monday. […] López Obrador called for ‘not one vote for those who despise migrants.’” [Associated Press, 7/3/23]
DeSantis Called To End The Practice Of So-Called “Catch And Release.” According to Politico, “In his first major policy proposal as a presidential candidate, DeSantis called for an end to ‘catch and release’ — a practice of discharging undocumented migrants into their American homes while they await court hearings. He called for asylum seekers along the U.S.-Mexico border to be blocked entry while their claims are processed. [Politico, 6/26/23]
DeSantis Said Children Born In The U.S. Who’s Parents Were Undocumented People Should No Longer Be Granted Citizenship. According to Politico, “And he said, as Trump has previously, that children born in the United States to parents living here illegally should no longer be granted citizenship, a proposal that stands to face significant legal challenges.” [Politico, 6/26/23]
DeSantis Took Aim At Trump And Said He Would Finish The U.S.-Mexico Border Wall. According to Politico, “But DeSantis also specifically criticized Trump on his signature policy issue from 2016, an unfinished U.S.-Mexico border wall, saying that if elected, he would complete it.” [Politico, 6/26/23]
DeSantis Said U.S. Border Patrol Agents Should Be Able To “Respond With Force” If They Catch Drug Smugglers. According to the Miami Herald, “DeSantis also said that Border Patrol agents should be able to ‘respond with force’ if they catch drug smugglers attempting to sneak into the U.S.” [Miami Herald, 6/26/23]
DeSantis Agreed With The Idea Of Declaring War Over Unlawful Immigration, Saying Texas Had The Right To “Declare Invasion.” According to Politico, “He even seemed to agree with the prospect of declaring war over unlawful immigration when asked by someone in the audience. ‘I think the state of Texas has the right to declare an invasion,’ DeSantis said.” [Politico, 6/26/23]
DeSantis Said He Would Cut Sanctuary City Federal Funding If Jurisdictions Refused To Cooperate With Federal Immigration Laws. According to the Miami Herald, “Additionally, DeSantis said he would cut hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to so-called ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration law, and deputize state and local governments to enforce immigration law.” [Miami Herald, 6/26/23]
DeSantis Expressed Openness To Using Drone Strikes Against Mexican Drug Cartels If Elected President. According to NBC News, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that he would be open to using drone strikes against Mexican drug cartels if he’s elected president. ‘We will absolutely reserve the right if they’re invading our country and killing our people,’ DeSantis said when a voter asked whether he would be willing to use drones against the cartels.” [NBC News, 8/10/23]
As President, DeSantis Vowed To Deport All Undocumented People Who Came To The U.S. Under Biden As His “First Priority.” According to the New York Post, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised eyebrows by publicly vowing to deport anyone who comes across the border illegally during the Biden administration if he wins the White House next year. The Republican contender, 45, told reporters following a campaign event in Long Beach, Calif., Friday that such a mass removal would be his ‘first priority’ as chief executive. ‘Everyone that has come illegally under Biden. We got to go — they’re sending back,’ DeSantis said. ‘That’s going to be the first priority. That’s probably 6 or 7 million people right there. It’s going to require a lot of effort. It’s going to require us to lean in.’” [New York Post, 10/2/23]
DeSantis Estimated He Would Deport “6 Or 7 Million People.” According to the New York Post, “DeSantis’ estimate of ‘6 or 7 million people’ likely comes from the total number of illegal immigrants encountered by CBP since 2021.” [New York Post, 10/2/23]
DeSantis Said He Would Boost Ranks Of Border Patrol And US Immigration And Customs Enforcement. According to the New York Post, “A DeSantis campaign official told The Post Monday that the prospective 47th president would achieve the ambitious promise by boosting the ranks of both Border Patrol and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as laid out in a section of his campaign website titled ‘Stop The Invasion.’ ‘We will hire more Border Patrol agents and more removal agents to make sure that even if illegal immigrants cross, they will swiftly be found and deported,’ the website states.” [New York Post, 10/2/23]
DeSantis Said He Would Hire More Border Patrol Agents And More “Removal Agents.” According to the New York Post, “A DeSantis campaign official told The Post Monday that the prospective 47th president would achieve the ambitious promise by boosting the ranks of both Border Patrol and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as laid out in a section of his campaign website titled ‘Stop The Invasion.’ ‘We will hire more Border Patrol agents and more removal agents to make sure that even if illegal immigrants cross, they will swiftly be found and deported,’ the website states.” [New York Post, 10/2/23]
Associated Press: DeSantis’ Immigration Policy Proposals Largely Mirrored Trump’s. According to the Associated Press, “The sweeping plan, the Florida governor’s first detailed policy release as a 2024 contender, represents a long-established wish list of Republican immigration proposals that largely mirrors former President Donald Trump’s policies. Much of DeSantis’ plan faces tall odds, requiring the reversal of legal precedents, approval from other countries or even an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” [Associated Press, 6/26/23]
On The Campaign Trial, DeSantis Struggled To Distance His Policy Positions From Trump, Specifically On Immigration. According to the Miami Herald, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis often tells Republican voters on the campaign trail that they should choose him because he is embracing big, bold policy positions that prove he is the presidential candidate most ready to wage an all-out battle on the political left. A closer look shows much of that agenda — seal the country’s southern border and radically remake the federal bureaucracy — mirrors that of his chief rival, former President Donald Trump. Since launching his campaign in May, DeSantis has struggled to distinguish his policy positions from the former president. Some of his plans match what Trump has already proposed, and others echo what he already did as president.” [Miami Herald, 7/7/23]
DeSantis Said America Was “Entitled” To Use Deadly Force Against People Against The Border Assumed To Be Affiliated With Drug Cartels. According to Florida Politics, “Florida’s Governor says the United States has every right to execute people crossing the Mexican border if they seem to be members of ‘drug cartels.’ During a recent ‘tele-town hall’ with supporters, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the American government is ‘entitled’ to take such action. ‘Some of the things that we’ve already highlighted as part of our agenda, our border policy, I’m the only one that’s willing to send the military to the border and to use deadly force against the Mexican drug cartels,’ DeSantis said. ‘We’re entitled to do it. They’re killing tens of thousands of our fellow Americans.’ ‘And so our message for the Mexican cartels is if you break into our country and you try to run drugs when I’m President, it would be the last thing you do because you’re going to end up stone cold dead at the border.’ DeSantis added.” [Florida Politics, 9/11/23]
DeSantis Said Killing Undocumented People Crossing The U.S.-Mexico Border “A Few Times” Would Deter Future Border Crossings. According to Florida Politics, “Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to justify killing people illegally crossing the Mexican border, and that it won’t take too many of these executions to get the message across. ‘But when somebody’s got a backpack on and they’re breaking through the wall, you know, that’s hostile intent and you have every right to take action under those circumstances. And guess what, you do that a few times, the times are a-changin’, they will have to respond to that,’ DeSantis said during a a Tuesday night appearance on the CBS Evening News.” [Florida Politics, 9/12/23]
DeSantis Noted Not All Border Crossers Would Be Presumed To Be Members Of Drug Cartels, But Said “If They’re Trying To Break Through The Wall, We Will Have Deadly Force Authorized To Stop That.” According to Florida Politics, “DeSantis noted that not all border crossers will be presumed to be members of drug cartels. ‘I mean, if they’re trying to break through the wall, we will have deadly force authorized to be able to stop that,’ DeSantis said. ‘Cartel members, I mean, you have to identify them as being hostile. I mean, if there’s, if there’s a woman with a baby, they’re not a cartel member, there’s not going to be authorization to just shoot somebody like that.’” [Florida Politics, 9/12/23]
DeSantis Expressed Openness To Launching Missiles Into Mexico To Combat Drug Cartels, Saying It “Would Be Dependent On The Situation.” According to Politico, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wouldn’t rule out launching missiles into Mexico to combat drug cartels if he’s elected president, saying that it’s ‘dependent on the situation.’ In a tense exchange with CBS Evening News’ Norah O’Donnell, the presidential hopeful was directly asked whether he would authorize an aerial attack inside the neighboring country. He began to respond, then pivoted. ‘We would use all available — the tactics, I think, can be debated. If you have something you want to accomplish, people would brief you on the different ways you’d be able to do it,’ DeSantis said. ‘So, that would be dependent on the situation.’ It’s the first time DeSantis, the most outspoken 2024 GOP presidential candidate when it comes to using military force at the border, has explicitly said he’d be open to using missiles against the southern neighbor. At the presidential debate in August, he said he would send U.S. special forces over the border — a statement that a campaign spokesperson later eased back to POLITICO.” [Politico, 9/13/23]
League Of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Joined Civil Rights Groups In Issuing A Travel Advisory For Florida Due To DeSantis’ Policies. According to Vox, “Several civil rights organizations are now cautioning various minorities against traveling to Florida following a flurry of state legislation this year targeting the rights of Black Americans, immigrants, and LGBTQ individuals. On Saturday, the NAACP joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino rights advocacy group, and Equality Florida, an LGBTQ rights advocacy group, in issuing Florida travel advisories. The NAACP warned that Florida had become ‘openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals,’ highlighting its attacks on the teaching of Black history and on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in public schools.” [Vox, 5/22/23]
LULAC Denounced “Sweeping Anti-Immigrant, Anti-Christian Family Rampage” Of Bill 1718, Which They Argued Would Harm Florida’s Economy. According to the League of United Latin American Citizens, “The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) strongly denounces the anti-immigrant measures signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida. LULAC exposes the extensive impact of Governor DeSantis' sweeping anti-immigrant, anti-Christian family rampage, harming the Florida economy and further marginalizing immigrant communities. Bill 1718 goes into effect July 1, 2023.” [League of United Latin American Citizens, Press Release, 5/17/23]
LULAC Warned Latinos Traveling In Florida Of DeSantis’ Enforcement Regulations, Compared Policies And Migrant Flights To Arizona’s SB1070 Law. According to the League of United Latin American Citizens, “LULAC President Garcia warns Latinos traveling in Florida with family members to be cautious if they encounter law enforcement. ‘We do not doubt that if Abuelita or Tia is with us and we are profiled, DeSantis' enforcement regulations will treat us like criminals, transporting a dangerous person who only wanted to visit family or enjoy Disneyworld,’ says Garcia. […] Governor DeSantis is allocating an additional $12 million to a ‘migrant relocation’ program to send people away from Florida, following an anywhere-but-here approach. LULAC reminds Governor DeSantis to consider Arizona's negative consequences when SB1070 was enacted, leading to a significant decline in Latino visitors and a $141 million dollar loss to the state's economy in just the first four months after passage.” [League of United Latin American Citizens, Press Release, 5/17/23]
DeSantis Said That “If You Just Provide Them A Pathway To Citizenship, You’re Making It Easier For Them When They Came Here Illegally.” According to On The Record With Greta Van Susteren, “DESANTIS: In terms of immigration, we need to get the basics right. We talked about border security, we’ve still really never secured the border. And I think a lot of people will agree there are certain high skilled immigrants that we can fix the system for them. […] I think that we have a rule of law, what I worry about is if you just provide them a pathway to citizenship, you’re making it easier for them when they came here illegally, as opposed to somebody who is waiting some other country to come here. And I think I want to stand by the people going through the process the right way. It’s a tough process and we need to make it better, but I don’t want people cutting in front of them in line.” [Fox On The Record With Greta Van Susteren, 1/21/13]
DeSantis Said That “Amnesty” Would Fuel More Undocumented Immigration. According to DeSantis via News-Journal, “Such an amnesty is bad policy because it will fuel more illegal immigration, will be unfair to legal immigrants who followed the law, and will lower wages and increase unemployment for U.S. citizens.” [News-Journal, 10/22/14]
2018: DeSantis Effectively Voted Against Providing A Pathway To Citizenship For DACA Recipients. In June 2018, DeSantis effectively voted against an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, “replace[d] the bill’s provisions with a system that would provide a pathway to citizenship for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.” The underlying legislation was a conservative immigration reform bill. The House rejected the amendment by a vote of 191 to 234. [House Vote 281, 6/21/18; Congressional Quarterly, 6/21/18; Congressional Actions, H.R. 4760]
2014: DeSantis Voted To Effectively End President Obama’s Deportation Deferral Program For DACA Recipients. In August 2014, DeSantis voted for a bill that, according a post on Roll Call’s 218 blog, “would effectively end Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA — a program that has allowed hundreds of thousands of ‘Dreamers’ brought to the United States illegally by their parents to get work permits and avoid deportation. And it would prohibit the president from expanding the program, as he has been reportedly considering doing for as many as five million additional immigrants.” The House passed the bill by a vote of 216 to 192; however, as of mid-August 2014, the Senate has not taken any substantive action on the measure. [House Vote 479, 8/1/14; Roll Call’s 218 blog, 8/1/14; Congressional Actions, H.R. 5272]
2013: DeSantis Voted To Block President Obama’s Order Deferring Deportation For DACA Recipients. In June 2013, DeSantis voted for an amendment that would have blocked President Obama’s executive decision not to deport illegal immigrants who came to America as children, known as DREAMers. According to Congressional Quarterly, the amendment would have “bar[red] the use of funds provided in the [underlying] bill to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce a number of policies and memorandums within the Homeland Security Department, including ones pertaining to prosecutorial discretion for illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children.” The House approved the proposed amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2014 by a vote of 224 to 201. The House later passed the overall bill. The Senate Appropriations Committee has produced its own version of the bill, but the full Senate has not acted on it. [House Vote 208, 6/6/13; Congressional Quarterly, 6/6/13; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2217]
2013: DeSantis Voted In Committee To Prohibit The “Finalization, Implementation Or Enforcement” Of An Executive Order From President Obama That Contained Similar Provisions Of The DREAM Act. In June 2013, DeSantis voted for an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, “prohibit[ed] the finalization, implementation or enforcement of seven Obama administration policies providing for discretion in immigration enforcement, including an executive order that grants temporary legal status to certain young people brought to the country as children who have completed or are enrolled in school or the military, an order that contains similar provisions to the so-called Dream Act.” The underlying measure was H.R. 2278, the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement (SAFE) Act which would have “give[n] state and local governments greater authority over immigration enforcement.” The vote was on the amendment. The House Judiciary committee agreed to the amendment by a vote of 19 to 17. The full committee later passed the legislation, but it did not receive a vote in the House. [Congressional Quarterly, 6/18/13; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2278]
2015: DeSantis Voted For An Amendment That Would Effectively Prevent DACA Recipients From Serving In The United States Military. In May 2015, DeSantis voted for an amendment that would help prevent the Secretary of Defense from reviewing if DACA recipients could enlist in the armed forces. According to Congressional Quarterly, the amendment, “would strike the section of the bill that would express the sense of the House that the Defense secretary should review current law to determine whether individuals participating in President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program may enlist in the armed forces.” According to Rep. Ruben Gellego (D-AZ), the amendment would, “leave the deeply unjust status quo unchanged. Right now, in America, DREAMers can be drafted into the military, but they can't sign up to serve in the military force they choose. That is simply unacceptable. These young people are Americans in every respect, except on paper.” The underlying bill was FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. The vote was on the amendment. The House adopted by a vote of 221 to 202 and subsequently passed the amended bill. After the Senate passed its own version, the bill went to a conference committee. The resulting compromise version did not contain the provision struck by the amendment. Both the House and the Senate subsequently passed the legislation; however, the president has said he will veto the bill. [House Vote 229, 5/14/15; Congressional Quarterly, 5/14/15; Congressional Record, 5/14/15; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1735; House Report 114-270, 9/29/15; White House Press Briefing, 9/30/15]
November 2014: Then-President Obama Ordered Immigration Authorities To Not Deport – And To Potentially Provide Work Permits To – Undocumented Parents Of U.S. Citizens And Permanent Residents Who Have Been In The U.S. Since January 1, 2010. According to the Washington Post, “The executive action will have two key components: It would offer a legal reprieve to the undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who’ve resided in the country for at least five years. This would remove the constant threat of deportation. Many could also receive work permits.” According to the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services website, “These initiatives include […] [a]llowing parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to request deferred action and employment authorization for three years, in a new Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program, provided they have lived in the United States continuously since January 1, 2010, and pass required background checks.” [Washington Post, 11/20/14; U.S. Customs and Immigration Services website, 1/30/15]
Obama Also Expanded The Deferred Action Program For Young DACA Recipients That He Started In 2012 To Cover DACA Recipients Of Any Age, Rather Than Limiting The Program To Those Under The Age Of 30. According to the Washington Post, “It would expand the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that allowed young immigrants, under 30 years old, who arrived as children to apply for a deportation deferral and who are now here legally. Immigrants older than 30 now qualify, as do more recent arrivals.” [Washington Post, 11/20/14]
2015: DeSantis Voted To Shut Down The Department Of Homeland Security Over A Fight Over Obama’s Executive Actions On Immigration. In March 2015, DeSantis voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security. According to Congressional Quarterly, the bill, “would provide $47.8 billion in fiscal 2015 for the Homeland Security Department and related activities.” According to Congressional Quarterly, the bill “end[ed] a funding showdown that has consumed the congressional agenda since Republicans decided in December to link the spending legislation to language blocking the president’s immigration executive actions.” The vote was on motion to recede and concur in the Senate amendment. The House accepted the motion by a vote of 257 to 167. The bill, having already passed the Senate, went to the president, where he signed it. [House Vote 109, 3/3/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/3/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/3/15; Congressional Actions, H.R. 240]
2015: DeSantis Voted To Shut Down The Department Of Homeland Security Over A Fight Over Obama’s Executive Actions On Immigration. In March 2015, DeSantis voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security. According to Congressional Quarterly, the bill, “would provide $47.8 billion in fiscal 2015 for the Homeland Security Department and related activities.” According to Congressional Quarterly, the bill “end[ed] a funding showdown that has consumed the congressional agenda since Republicans decided in December to link the spending legislation to language blocking the president’s immigration executive actions.” The vote was on motion to recede and concur in the Senate amendment. The House accepted the motion by a vote of 257 to 167. The bill, having already passed the Senate, went to the president, where he signed it. [House Vote 109, 3/3/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/3/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/3/15; Congressional Actions, H.R. 240]
2014: DeSantis Voted Against Funding Department Of Homeland Security At FY 2014 Levels Through February 27, 2015, As Part Of Legislation Providing FY 2015 Funding For The Rest Of The Government. In December 2014, DeSantis voted against legislation that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “finance[d] government operations through Sept. 30 [2015], the remainder of FY 2015, through full, detailed, annual appropriations bills for all spending measures except Homeland Security — which would be funded by a continuing resolution until Feb. 27. […] Funding for the Homeland Security Department would remain effectively frozen at the FY 2014 level by a continuing resolution (CR) through Feb. 27, 2015.” The vote was on a motion to agree to a House substitute amendment to unrelated legislation, which the Senate agreed to by a vote of 56 to 40. Afterwards, the amended legislation was sent to the president, who signed it into law. [House Vote 563, 12/11/14; Congressional Quarterly, 12/10/14; Congressional Actions, H.R. 83; Public Law 113-235, 12/16/14]
2015: DeSantis Voted For A FY 2016 Budget Resolution Which Called For Reversing Obama’s Executive Actions On Immigration. In March 2015, DeSantis voted for a FY 2016 Budget Resolution which called for reversing President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. According to Congressional Quarterly, “Other proposals recommended by the committee report include the following […] Reverse President Obama's executive actions that defer deportation of certain illegal immigrants and ensure that they do not become eligible for certain federal benefits.” The vote was on the adopting the substitute amendment. The House passed the amendment 219 to 208 and later passed the budget resolution. The budget resolution died in the Senate, but a similar concurrent resolution did pass both Houses. [House Vote 141, 3/25/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/23/15; Congressional Actions, H.Con.Res. 27; Congressional Actions, S.Con.Res. 11]
2015: DeSantis Voted For A FY 2016 Budget Resolution Which Called For Reversing Obama’s Executive Actions On Immigration. In March 2015, DeSantis voted for a FY 2016 Budget Resolution which called for reversing President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. According to Congressional Quarterly, “Other proposals recommended by the committee report include the following […] Reverse President Obama's executive actions that defer deportation of certain illegal immigrants and ensure that they do not become eligible for certain federal benefits.” The vote was on the adopting the substitute amendment. The House rejected the amendment 105 to 319. The House later adopted a substitute amendment identical to this except for a change in defense spending and then later passed the budget resolution. The budget resolution died in the Senate, but a similar concurrent resolution did pass both Houses. [House Vote 140, 3/25/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/23/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/30/15; Congressional Actions, H.Con.Res. 27; Congressional Actions, S.Con.Res. 11]
DeSantis Said That Obama Became A “Constitutional Outlaw” By Issuing Executive Orders. According to a press release from Rep. Ron DeSantis, “President Obama has repeatedly acknowledged that the President can do no such thing, yet tonight he tossed aside his own understanding of our foundational document and has made himself a constitutional outlaw.” [Rep. Ron DeSantis via Internet Archive, Press Release, 11/20/14]
DeSantis Said That He “Will Do Everything In My Power To Stop Barack Obama From Unilaterally And Unconstitutionally Instituting A Massive Amnesty By Executive Fiat.” According to a News-Journal’s Q&A with the candidates about the House race in FL-6, “Q: What is your stance on immigration reform and what solution would you propose on the issue? DeSantis: I will do everything in my power to stop Barack Obama from unilaterally and unconstitutionally instituting a massive amnesty by executive fiat. Obama is going to wait until after the election because he wants to hide this unpopular action from the voters.” [News-Journal, 10/22/14]
DeSantis Claimed That President Obama’s Immigration Executive Actions Resulted In “Thousands” Of Undocumented Immigrants Fraudulently Registering To Vote. According to the Washington Examiner, “Republicans on two House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittees worry that millions of new illegal immigrants could fraudulently register to vote as a result of President Obama’s executive order. The Obama order gives such individuals new access to Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses, enabling them at least potentially to register fraudulently for voting, according to testimony Thursday before the two panels in a joint hearing. ‘Some experts have already found that thousands of immigrants have registered to vote in some states,’ said Rep. Ron DeSantis. The Florida Republican is chairman of the oversight panel’s national security subcommittee.” [Washington Examiner, 2/13/15]
2018: DeSantis Voted For A Republican Immigration Reform Measure Which Provided $9.3 Billion In Funding For A Border Wall. In June 2018, DeSantis voted for a conservative immigration reform bill. Acceding to Congressional Quarterly, “Passage of the bill that would authorize $24.8 billion for fiscal 2018 through fiscal 2022 for various border security activities, including $9.3 billion for a border wall and other physical barriers and would provide individuals registered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program with a three-year, renewable contingent non-immigrant legal status but with no special path to citizenship. It would modify legal immigration by ending the diversity visa program and restricting most family-based immigration to allow only spouses and minor children of legal permanent residents to receive green cards. It would increase enforcement of immigration laws within the United States, including by requiring all employers to verify the immigration status and eligibility of individuals seeking jobs in the United States.” The vote was on passage. The House rejected the bill by a vote of 193 to 231. [House Vote 282, 6/21/18; Congressional Quarterly, 6/21/18; Congressional Actions, H.R. 4760]
2017: DeSantis Effectively Voted For Funding For Trump’s Border Wall With Funding Instead Of Going To FEMA. In September 2017, DeSantis effectively voted against an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, “increase[d] funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Predisaster Mitigation Fund by $2.4 billion, would [have] eliminate[d] $1.6 billion in funding to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for procurement, construction and improvement of a barrier along the southern U.S. border, and would [have] decrease[d] funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations by $849.5 million.” The underlying legislation was an FY 2018 omnibus. The House rejected the motion to recommit by a vote of 186 to 223. The House later passed the underlying legislation. The Senate took no substantive action on the overall legislation. [House Vote 527, 9/14/17; Congressional Quarterly, 9/14/17; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3354]
2018: DeSantis Voted Against Ending The Child Separation Policy. In June 2018, DeSantis voted against the “compromise” immigration proposal between Republican conservatives and moderates. According to Congressional Quarterly, “Passage of the bill that would appropriate $23.4 billion for various border security activities. Included would be $16.6 billion for a ‘border wall system,’ which would be available from fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2027, and $6.8 billion for border security investments, which would be available from fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2023. It would provide those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status a six-year renewable contingent non-immigrant legal status and would allow them to apply for a green card after five years, providing a path to citizenship. It would modify legal immigration by ending the diversity visa program and reallocating those visas to other classifications. The bill would require that undocumented immigrants who are charged with a misdemeanor offense for improper entry into the United States be detained with their minor children.” The vote was on passage. The House rejected the bill by a vote of 121 to 301. [House Vote 297, 6/27/18; Congressional Quarterly, 6/27/18; Congressional Actions, H.R. 6136]
2018: DeSantis Effectively Voted Against Ending The Trump Administration’s Policy Of Separating Undocumented Migrant Children From Their Parents At The Border. In June 2018, Ron DeSantis effectively voted against an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, “prohibit[ed] law enforcement from detaining, separately from their child, any individual accused of illegally entering the United States with a child, in cases in which the child is under the age of 18.” The underlying legislation was the so-called GOP immigration compromise bill. The House rejected the amendment by a vote of 190 to 230. [House Vote 296, 6/27/18; Congressional Quarterly, 6/27/18; Congressional Actions, H.R. 6136]
DeSantis, Martha Roby Introduced An Amendment To Require Undocumented Immigrants Who Committed Domestic Violence And Sex Offenses To Be Moved Into The Highest-Priority Removal Category. According to the Washington Examiner, “Yet another Republican amendment is by Reps. Ron DeSantis and Martha Roby. It would very specifically target the administration’s priority structure for removing criminal immigrants. Currently some domestic violence and sex offenders are not in the highest-priority removal category. The DeSantis-Roby measure would put them there.” [Washington Examiner, 1/11/15]
2015: DeSantis Voted To Prevent Funds From Being Used To Provide Financial Assistance For Housing To Undocumented Immigrants. In June 2015, DeSantis voted for an amendment that would bar funds from being used to provide non-citizen eligibility for need-based housing. According to Congressional Quarterly, the amendment would have “bar[red] funds from being used to provide financial assistance in contravention of section 214 (d) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980, regarding non-citizen eligibility for need-based housing.” The underlying measure was H.R. 2577, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016. The vote was on the amendment. The House of Representatives adopted the amendment by a vote of 246 to 180. The bill passed the House and is currently in the Senate. [House Vote 320, 6/9/15; Congressional Quarterly, 6/9/15; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2577]
Arizona’s SB 1070 Immigration Law Required State Law Enforcement To Ask For Proof Of Immigration Status For Suspected Undocumented Persons, Including On Routine Traffic Stops. According to Arizona Public Media, “July 29 marked a decade since the controversial state law SB 1070 went into effect in Arizona. Known as the ‘show me your papers’ law, SB 1070 required state law enforcement to ask those deemed suspicious of being undocumented to present proof of legal immigration status during routine traffic stops. It also made it a misdemeanor crime to be caught without those papers. It was the strictest anti-immigration legislation in the country at the time and a measure many worried would easily lead to racial profiling.” [Arizona Public Media, 7/30/20]
SB 1070 Produced Concerns Of Enabling Racial Profiling. According to Arizona Public Media, “July 29 marked a decade since the controversial state law SB 1070 went into effect in Arizona. […] It was the strictest anti-immigration legislation in the country at the time and a measure many worried would easily lead to racial profiling.” [Arizona Public Media, 7/30/20]
DeSantis Called Arizona’s Approach To Immigration “Best For American Citizens,” Though Never Expressed His Explicit Support For SB 1070.According to a press release from Ron DeSantis for Congress via Florida Times Union, “‘I am pleased to be endorsed by Sheriff Joe Arpaio,’ DeSantis said. ‘Like Sheriff Joe, I believe that illegal immigration is a major problem that undermines the rule of law. We must enforce the laws we have on the books, secure our borders and deny special benefits to illegal immigrants such as in-state tuition rates. This approach is best for American citizens and is fair to those who have taken the time and effort to go through the legal immigration process.’” [Ron DeSantis for Congress, via Florida Times Union, 8/2/12]
DeSantis: Arizona SB 1070 Would Not Lead To Racial Profiling Because It Required That Police First Make A Lawful Stop. According to Ron DeSantis’ book, Dreams From Our Founding Fathers, “Since the Arizona law required, as a precondition to its enforcement, the existence of an otherwise lawful stop, arrest or detention and since the law specifically prohibited the use of race, color, or national origin in enforcing its provisions, it did not authorize blanket detention of individuals of Mexican decent based on appearance. With this in mind, those who argued that the Arizona law would lead to rampant racial and ethnic discrimination were essentially saying that they expected law enforcement personnel to abuse their positions and to disregard the laws clear provisions.” [Ron DeSantis - Dreams From Our Founding Fathers, 2011]
DeSantis Flew Two Planes Of Venezuelan Migrants To Martha’s Vineyard. According to Fox News, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed through on his promise to drop off illegal immigrants in progressive states, sending two planes full of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday. A video provided to Fox News Digital shows the migrants deboarding the planes at Martha’s Vineyard Airport in Massachusetts. ‘Yes, Florida can confirm the two planes with illegal immigrants that arrived in Martha’s Vineyard today were part of the state’s relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations,’ the governor’s communications director, Taryn Fenske, told Fox News Digital.” [Fox News, 9/14/22]
DeSantis’ Communications Director Said States Such As Massachusetts, California, And New York Would “Better Facilitate” Migrants. According to Fox News, “‘States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and support for the Biden administration’s open border policies,’ she said.” [Fox News, 9/14/22]
DeSantis’ Office Said They Planned To Send Undocumented People From Florida To “Progressive States,” Had Claimed It Was Not Florida’s Responsibility To “Subsidize” Migrants. According to Fox News, “DeSantis, a Republican, proposed Delaware or Martha’s Vineyard as a destination for such migrants, but his office explained at the time that they could also be sent ‘to other ‘progressive’ states whose governors endorse blatant violations of federal immigration law.’ ‘It is not the responsibility of Floridians to subsidize aliens to reside in our state unlawfully; we did not consent to Biden’s open-borders agenda,’ the governor’s office said at the time.” [Fox News, 9/14/22]
Migrants Told Reporters They Never Reached Florida But Came From San Antonio, Texas, Told “Given Promises Of Help.” According to Politico’s Florida Playbook, “The migrants appear to have never reached Florida. While the DeSantis administration has declined to answer detailed questions on the relocation operation, some of the migrants who arrived in Massachusetts have told media outlets about being approached in San Antonio and given promises of help. One migrant told the Boston Globe that a woman took him and others to a Texas hotel where she gave them meals and offered to help with paperwork. They were then put on a plane. NPR quoted migrants who said they were told they were going to Boston.” [Politico – Florida Playbook, 9/16/22]
Migrants Were Taken To Hotels In San Antonio, Given Meals And Paperwork, Then Put On Planes. According to Politico’s Florida Playbook, “While the DeSantis administration has declined to answer detailed questions on the relocation operation, some of the migrants who arrived in Massachusetts have told media outlets about being approached in San Antonio and given promises of help. One migrant told the Boston Globe that a woman took him and others to a Texas hotel where she gave them meals and offered to help with paperwork. They were then put on a plane.” [Politico – Florida Playbook, 9/16/22]
Migrants Were Told They Were Going To Boston Not Martha’s Vineyard. According to Politico’s Florida Playbook, “One migrant told the Boston Globe that a woman took him and others to a Texas hotel where she gave them meals and offered to help with paperwork. They were then put on a plane. NPR quoted migrants who said they were told they were going to Boston.” [Politico – Florida Playbook, 9/16/22]
Report Detailed Migrants Were Misled On Flights, A Woman Named “Perla” Had Told Migrants They Were Promised Work, Food, And Housing. According to the Associated Press, “DeSantis took from the playbook of a fellow Republican, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, by surprising Democratic strongholds with large influxes of migrants and providing little or no information. ‘They were told that they would have a job and they would have housing,’ said Elizabeth Folcarelli, who leads Martha’s Vineyard Community Services and described the scramble for shelter as a ‘huge challenge.’ […] In San Antonio, a Latina woman approached migrants at a city-run shelter and put them up at a nearby La Quinta Inn, where she visited daily with food and gift cards, Henriquez said. She promised jobs and three months of housing in Washington, New York, Philadelphia and Boston. The woman, who introduced herself to migrants as Perla, promised jobs, housing and support for their immigration cases, said Oren Sellstrom of Lawyers for Civil Rights, which offered free consultations. The city of San Antonio was unaware of the flights, said Maria Villagomez, deputy city manager. Pedro Luis Torrelaba, 36, said he was promised work, food and housing. He thought he was going to New York. ‘I am not a victim,’ he said Friday, expressing gratitude to residents of Martha’s Vineyard for their hospitality. ‘I simply feel misled because they told a lie and it has come to nothing.’” [Associated Press, 9/16/22]
Migrants Were Told They Could Be Flown To Boston And Could Get Expedited Work Papers. According to NPR, “The migrants said a woman they identified as ‘Perla’ approached them outside the shelter and lured them into boarding the plane, saying they would be flown to Boston where they could get expedited work papers. She provided them with food. The migrants said Perla was still trying to recruit more passengers just hours before their flight.” [NPR, 9/15/22]
Migrants Told Attorney, Julio Henriquez, They Had “No Idea Where They Were Going Or Where They Were.” According to the Associated Press, “Julio Henriquez, an attorney who met with several migrants, said they ‘had no idea of where they were going or where they were.’ Two flights to Martha’s Vineyard stopped in the Florida Panhandle, Henriquez said. While on board, migrants got brochures and maps of Massachusetts.” [Associated Press, 9/16/22]
Image Of Fake Massachusetts Flag, Which Was Previously Designed As A Concept By Will Bodine, Was Put On Brochures Which Recruited Migrants For DeSantis’ Migrant Flights. According to the Boston Globe, “Will Bodine hadn’t given his redesign of the Massachusetts state flag much thought in a while. Two summers ago, he whipped up the image in ‘upwards of 10 minutes’ on his computer. The concept was simple: a blue shield emblazoned with the official state flower — the mayflower — encircled by six blue stars, all splashed against a white backdrop. Bodine, who lives in Pittsfield, showed it to a few friends and shared it on Facebook. He also uploaded it to Imgur, an image-hosting website, where, until recently, it had only been viewed a few times. ‘Not officially or anything,’ he wrote. ‘I just think the current one [expletive] so I made this one featuring the state flower.’ So on Tuesday, it came as a complete surprise when Bodine learned his reimagined design was embroiled in the national controversy involving Venezuelan migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard unannounced last week. Before nearly 50 migrants arrived from Texas on planes chartered by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, lawyers said they were handed brochures containing erroneous information about cash assistance and other benefits they would receive in Massachusetts. While it remains unclear who created the pamphlets, they included a rudimentary map of the state, a picture of a lighthouse, a photo of a sign reading ‘Massachusetts Welcomes You’ — and Bodine’s obscure reimagining of the state flag, rather than the real one.” [Boston Globe, 9/21/22]
Bodine’s Concept Was Shared On Facebook And Uploaded To Imgur. According to the Boston Globe, “Will Bodine hadn’t given his redesign of the Massachusetts state flag much thought in a while. Two summers ago, he whipped up the image in ‘upwards of 10 minutes’ on his computer. The concept was simple: a blue shield emblazoned with the official state flower — the mayflower — encircled by six blue stars, all splashed against a white backdrop. Bodine, who lives in Pittsfield, showed it to a few friends and shared it on Facebook. He also uploaded it to Imgur, an image-hosting website, where, until recently, it had only been viewed a few times. ‘Not officially or anything,’ he wrote. ‘I just think the current one [expletive] so I made this one featuring the state flower.’” [Boston Globe, 9/21/22]
Huerta Handed Out Maps With Arrows For Flights Going From Texas To Massachusetts. According to the New York Times, “The story of how the migrants were recruited for the flights was recounted by dozens of migrants in interviews with lawyers and journalists after arriving, mystified, on what they realized was a remote resort island with few resources. A woman named Perla, most of them said, had approached them in San Antonio about a free flight to Massachusetts. There were jobs there, they were told, and people to help them. The woman provided the mostly destitute migrants with free meals at McDonald’s and a place to stay at a nearby La Quinta Inn before the flight. The migrants each received a red folder containing a map of the United States, with an arrow stretching from Texas to Massachusetts. Another map in the shape of Martha’s Vineyard had a dot for the airport and one for the community services center.” [New York Times, 10/2/22]
Pamphlets Given Out Noted “Up To Eight Months Of Cash Assistance” For “Income Eligible” Refugees In Massachusetts, Mimicking Language Of Benefits Offered To Refugees Through Resettlement Programs. According to the New York Times, “Also in the folder was a brochure, apparently fake, titled ‘Refugee Migrant Benefits,’ in English and Spanish. The cover proclaimed, ‘Massachusetts Welcomes You,’ and featured a state flag that was not current. Listed on the back were the names and numbers of a church, a synagogue and a nonprofit on Martha’s Vineyard. The pamphlet, reviewed by The Times, also promised ‘up to eight months of cash assistance’ for ‘income-eligible’ refugees in Massachusetts, apparently mimicking benefits offered to refugees who arrive in the United States through the country’s official resettlement program, which the Venezuelans were not part of.” [New York Times, 10/2/22]
DeSantis’ Public Safety Czar, Larry Keefe, Was Aboard DeSantis’ Migrant Flights From San Antonio, Allegedly Helping Skirt Florida’s Migrant Relocation Laws. According to the Miami Herald, “The records obtained by the Florida Center for Government Accountability show, among other revelations, that the president of Destin-based Vertol Systems Company, Inc. was not only on the plane when his company flew migrants out of Texas to Massachusetts on Sept. 14, but he and the governor’s ‘public safety czar,’ Larry Keefe, were intimately involved in the plan to justify using Florida funds for the Texas covert op. The flights carrying migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard made a 30-minute pit stop in the Panhandle town of Crestview. It was a convenient spot for Keefe, a former U.S. attorney and his former client in private practice, Vertol President James Montgomerie, who would be dropped off in the vicinity of their homes. But it also served another purpose: To allow the Venezuelan and Peruvian migrants picked up in Texas to be treated as if they were Florida-based migrants and thus eligible to be airlifted out under the secretive program.” [Miami Herald, 11/2/22]
Miami-Dade Mayor Criticized DeSantis, Said We Should “Not Be Using Them To Score Political Points.” According to the Miami Herald, “Miami-Dade County has the largest Venezuelan population in the United States, and its mayor on Thursday told Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis he should be celebrating immigrants and ‘not using them to score political points.’ Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat, posted a statement on Twitter about the DeSantis administration’s recent use of state dollars to fly Venezuelans to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts after they crossed the United States border into Texas. The migrants had been released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as they await asylum or other claims to try and remain in the country. ‘In Miami we know all too well why Venezuelans come to our nation fleeing oppression and seeking freedom,’ Levine Cava wrote in the post. ‘Today, at the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, we should be celebrating the many contributions of immigrants who built our community — not using them to score political points.’” [Miami Herald, 9/15/22]
Massachusetts Officials, Including Rep. Dylan Fernandes, Criticized DeSantis’ Move. According to NPR, “The unannounced flight drew anger from Massachusetts officials. ‘We have the governor of Florida ... hatching a secret plot to send immigrant families like cattle on an airplane,’ said state Rep. Dylan Fernandes, who represents Martha's Vineyard. ‘Ship them women and children to a place they weren't told where they were going and never alerted local officials and people on the ground here that they were coming. It is an incredibly inhumane and depraved thing to do.’” [NPR, 9/15/22]
U.S. Attorney For Massachusetts, Rachel Rollins, Said Her Office Planned To Speak To Department Of Justice Officials About DeSantis’ Move. According to Politico’s Florida Playbook, “When asked by POLITICO, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins said her office plans to speak to the Department of Justice about DeSantis flying migrants into Martha's Vineyard.” [Politico – Florida Playbook, 9/16/22]
Texas’ Bexar County Sheriff Opened Investigation Into DeSantis’ Migrant Flights, Said It Was Clear Many Migrants Were “Lured Under False Pretenses.” According to the New York Times, “A county sheriff in Texas announced on Monday that he had opened a criminal investigation into flights that took 48 migrants from a shelter in San Antonio to the island resort of Martha’s Vineyard last week. Sheriff Javier Salazar of Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, said that he had enlisted agents from his office’s organized crime task force and that it was too early to determine which laws might have been broken. But he said it was clear that many of the migrants had been misled and lured away from Texas to score political points. […] A migrant appears to have been paid to recruit other Venezuelan migrants, who have been crossing the southwest border in greater numbers, from the area around a migrant resource center in San Antonio, Sheriff Salazar said. The migrants were ‘lured under false pretenses’ with promises of work and a better life, he added. ‘They had a right to walk around the streets just like you and me, and they had a right not to be preyed on and played for a fool and transported halfway across the country, just for the sake of a media event or a video opportunity,’ Sheriff Salazar, a Democrat, said. ‘That’s a tragedy.’” [New York Times, 9/19/22]
Southern Poverty Law Center And Florida Immigrant Coalition Sued DeSantis Over Migrant Flights, Claimed Flights Were Unconstitutional Because The State Was Usurping The Federal Government On Immigration. According to Politico, “The Southern Poverty Law Center and non-profit immigration rights organizations are suing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his controversial transport of migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. The plaintiffs, which include the Florida Immigrant Coalition, filed the lawsuit Thursday on behalf of three groups in a Miami federal court. The lawsuit against DeSantis and the state’s transportation secretary contends that Florida’s program — which led the DeSantis administration to the flying of nearly 50 mostly Venezuelan migrants from San Antonio to Massachusetts in September — is unconstitutional because the state is ‘usurping the federal government’s sole role in regulating and enforcing immigration law.’” [Politico, 12/1/22]
Lawsuit Alleged DeSantis’ Migrant Flights Program Was Discriminatory And Constituted “State-Sponsored Harassment Of Immigrants Based On Race, Color,, And National Origin.” According to Politico, “The lawsuit also alleges that the program is discriminatory and constitutes ‘state-sponsored harassment of immigrants based on race, color, and national origin.’ ‘The Constitution is clear — the sole and exclusive power to regulate immigration policy is granted to the federal government, not the states,’ said Paul Chavez, senior supervising attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Immigrant Justice Project in a statement. ‘The scheme by Gov. DeSantis and the state of Florida to use taxpayer funds for the ‘relocation’ of ‘unauthorized alien’ is a blatant and unlawful attempt to harass immigrants at the state level.’” [Politico, 12/1/22]
Florida Officials Plan To Continue DeSantis’ Migrant Flights In December, DeSantis’ Communications Director, Taryn Fenske, Said Migrant Relocation Plan “Remains Active.” According to the Wall Street Journal, “Florida officials plan to continue transporting migrants to Northern states to protest federal border policies and might restart flights by December, according to a spokeswoman for Gov. Ron DeSantis and emails from a contractor. Florida hasn’t flown more migrants since it chartered two planes to send 49 people from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts on Sept. 14, a surprise move that generated controversy, a criminal investigation and lawsuits. […] Mr. DeSantis’s communications director, Taryn Fenske, said the migrant transport campaign is still in place. Publicly released communications from Vertol Systems Co. Inc., the contractor that arranged the earlier flights, indicated more trips might occur later this year. ‘While Florida has had all hands on deck responding to the catastrophic Hurricane Ian, the immigration relocation program remains active,’ said Ms. Fenske. She didn’t comment on when the state might restart any flights.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/24/22]
DeSantis Was Endorsed By Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio In 2012. According to a press release from Ron DeSantis for Congress via Florida Times Union, Republican Ron DeSantis, the Iraq war veteran and Navy reservist who is running for Congress in the new 6th Congressional District of Florida, has been endorsed by Sheriff Joe Arpaio ‘America's Toughest Sheriff.’ ‘I'm proud to endorse Ron DeSantis for Congress because I know he will stand up for the rule of law and get tough on illegal immigration,’ said Sheriff Joe Arpaio. ‘Ron's service in Iraq and as a prosecutor gives me confidence in his ability to take on the insiders and be a Conservative leader in Congress. Ron is the conservative we can trust.’” [Ron DeSantis for Congress, via Florida Times Union, 8/2/12]
DeSantis Was Endorsed By The Self-Described Toughest Sheriff In America, Sheriff Joe Arpaio. According to the Florida Times-Union, “GOP Congressional candidate Ron DeSantis Thursday announced another in a line of national endorsements. He is being supported by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who calls himself ‘America’s toughest sheriff.’ ‘I’m proud to endorse Ron DeSantis for Congress because I know he will stand up for the rule of law and get tough on illegal immigration,’ said Arpaio, who is the sheriff of Maricopa County. […] ‘Ron’s service in Iraq and as a prosecutor gives me confidence in his ability to take on the insiders and be a Conservative leader in Congress. Ron is the conservative we can trust.’’ [Florida Times-Union, 8/2/12]
DeSantis Said That He Was Pleased With Arpaio’s Endorsement And That He Agreed With Him On Immigration. According to the Florida Times-Union, “I am pleased to be endorsed by Sheriff Joe Arpaio,’ DeSantis said. ’Like Sheriff Joe, I believe that illegal immigration is a major problem that undermines the rule of law. We must enforce the laws we have on the books, secure our borders and deny special benefits to illegal immigrants such as in-state tuition rates. This approach is best for American citizens and is fair to those who have taken the time and effort to go through the legal immigration process.” [Florida Times-Union, 8/2/12]
Federal District Court Ruled Sheriff Arpaio Violated Constitutional Rights Of Latinos In Lawsuit Regarding Singling Out Latinos For Stops, Questioning, Detention, And Enforcement Operations. According to the New York Times, “A federal judge ruled on Friday that Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his deputies had violated the constitutional rights of Latinos by targeting them during raids and traffic stops here and throughout Maricopa County. With his ruling, Judge G. Murray Snow of United States District Court delivered the most decisive defeat so far to Sheriff Arpaio, who has come to symbolize Arizona’s strict approach to immigration enforcement by making it the leading mission for many of the 800 deputies under his command at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. […] The ruling is a result of a federal civil trial last summer in which Sheriff Arpaio and his office were accused in a class-action lawsuit of singling out Latinos for stops, questioning and detention. It says deputies considered the prevalence of Latinos when deciding where to carry out enforcement operations, in many cases in response to complaints based solely on assumptions that Latinos or ‘Mexicans,’ as some complainants put it, were necessarily illegal immigrants.” [New York Times, 5/25/13]
Judge Ruled Arpaio Could Not Use Latino Ancestry As A Factor In Stopping Vehicles, Detain On Simple “Reasonable Belief” Of Undocumented Status. According to the New York Times, “A federal judge ruled on Friday that Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his deputies had violated the constitutional rights of Latinos by targeting them during raids and traffic stops here and throughout Maricopa County. […] The ruling prohibits the sheriff’s office from using ‘race or Latino ancestry’ as a factor in deciding to stop any vehicle with Latino occupants, or as a factor in deciding whether they may be in the country without authorization. It also prohibits deputies from reporting a vehicle’s Latino occupants to federal immigration authorities or detaining, holding or arresting them, unless there is more than just a ‘reasonable belief’ that they are in the country illegally. To detain them, the ruling said, the deputies must also have reasonable suspicion that the occupants are violating the state’s human-trafficking and employment laws or committing other crimes.” [New York Times, 5/25/13]
2017: DeSantis Voted For The Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act. In September 2017, DeSantis voted for legislation that would have made it easier for the federal government to deport suspected immigrant gang members. According to Congressional Quarterly, “Passage of the bill that would define a criminal gang as a group of five or more persons that has the primary purpose of the commission of one or more certain criminal offenses and would prohibit individuals defined as foreign criminal gang members from entering the United States. It would prohibit a criminal gang member, who is not a U.S. citizen or U.S. national, from being eligible for certain immigration benefits such as asylum, special immigrant juvenile status, and temporary protected status.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 233 to 175. The Senate took no substantive action on the legislation. [House Vote 517, 9/14/17; Congressional Quarterly, 9/14/17; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3697]