DeSantis’ office proposed power to transport undocumented immigrants outside the U.S.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office proposed that state lawmakers give him the extraordinary power to transport undocumented immigrants outside the United States, according to a list of proposals legislative leaders say they received from his office last week ahead of his push for a special session at the end of the month.

The list also includes a proposition to make it a crime for law enforcement officers and elected officials to fail to fully cooperate with state and federal immigration directives.

The proposals, which according to a spokeswoman for the Florida Senate were sent Friday to legislative staff for the Senate and House, are more detailed than the immigration policy ideas DeSantis has publicly released this week as he pushes the Legislature to take action in a Jan. 27 special legislation session to help carry out President-elect Donald Trump’s mass-deportation plans.

The governor rolled out several immigration proposals on Wednesday. Among them were suggestions that the state program used to fly migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in 2022 be authorized to “facilitate the deportation of illegal aliens” from the country, and that the state should create “penalties for non-compliance” with immigration enforcement policies. The governor did not discuss the idea that the program should operate outside of the country or that local officials should face criminal penalties for non-compliance.

Read more: How far will the government ask Florida’s sheriffs go to help Trump carry out mass deportations?

It’s unclear why the governor has not publicly discussed some of the details in his proposals floated with the House and Senate, which were first reported by POLITICO Florida. His office did not immediately respond to questions sent Wednesday night.

The proposals to legislative staff were provided to the Herald/Times by a spokeswoman for the Florida Senate. They include:

• Restructuring the state’s Unauthorized Alien Transport Program to allow the DeSantis administration to transport undocumented immigrants “outside of the United States.” The word “outside” was put in bold face and underlined.

• Creating a first-degree misdemeanor for law enforcement officers and a third-degree felony for elected officials who do not participate in certain federal immigration enforcement actions

• Requiring state and local law enforcement agencies to ensure that at least 10 percent of their workforce is trained and equipped to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement, including deportations

• Allowing the Florida National Guard and the Florida State Guard — a civilian military force under the governor’s control — to help with federal immigration enforcement in coordination with a state-appointed immigration officer

Other proposals made by the governor’s office were released publicly on Wednesday in a press release that contemplated empowering the governor to suspend any elected or appointed officials who refuse to comply with a federal program known as 287g that allows officers to identify undocumented immigrants who are booked in county jails.

The governor also announced that he wanted to mandate that businesses verify the identity of each person that transfers money to a foreign country and to report each verification to the state. Additionally, he said he wants to refuse bail to all undocumented immigrants who are in custody by considering them a flight risk.

No legislation backed by the governor’s office has been filed to legislative leaders in the House or Senate, according to Katie Betta, a spokeswoman for Senate President Ben Albritton, and Amelia Angleton, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Daniel Perez.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published January 16, 2025 at 10:12 AM.