Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday morning signed three bills aimed at addressing illegal immigration in Florida.
Along with Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez, Attorney General Ashley Moody and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, DeSantis emphasized during a news conference in Winter Haven the need to strengthen border security and immigration laws, a hot-button issue in an election year and a priority of the Florida Legislature.
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DeSantis also criticized President Joe Biden’s immigration policies and expressed appreciation for law enforcement agencies in Florida.
MORE: DeSantis unveils an aggressive immigration and border security policy that largely mirrors Trump’s
Here are the three laws signed by DeSantis that will take effect on July 1:
HB 1589: Revises penalties for the offense of driving without valid driver license and requires a specified minimum jail sentence for repeat offenders, which DeSantis says will be a deterrent for illegal immigration
HB 1451: Prohibits Florida counties and cities from accepting certain ID cards or documents issued to people who enter the United States illegally
SB 1036: Enhances penalties for a crime committed by an individual who returned to the country illegally after deportation
DeSantis also gave an update following a recent announcement that the state is increasing resources in South Florida with the goal of “warding off a potential influx of vessels carrying illegal immigrants from places like Haiti.”
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Since January 2023 until this week, DeSantis said the efforts have led to the interdiction of 670 vessels carrying over 13,500 possible immigrants that were stopped from being able to make it to Florida.
“So this has been a very successful operation. And so what we decided to do given the situation that’s happening in Haiti, some brutal reports that are happening, we want to make sure that we’re protecting Floridians and so we have authorized additional officers with the relevant agencies, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildlife we’ve also augmented the National Guard another 48 guardsmen, up to 133 soldiers from the Florida State Guard and 30 additional officers from Florida Highway Patrol for additional helicopters through the National Guard,” DeSantis said. “I think the message is is the last thing you should want to do is get on some boat and think you’re going to come through for many of these islands to get to the state of Florida, the most likely scenario is you will be stopped and you will be returned to your country of origin.”
