Contrary to what they’re hearing in their Tallahassee echo chamber, the Florida GOP establishment’s immigration bill isn’t fooling anyone.
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Weeks after the 2024 election, The Federalist’s John Daniel Davidson predicted in these pages that the biggest impediment to President Donald Trump’s agenda wouldn’t be Democrats, “but establishment Republicans.” Not even a month into Trump’s presidency, Davidson’s forecast has come true in the form of Florida’s GOP-controlled legislature.
Throughout the past several weeks, Gov. Ron DeSantis has been embroiled in a fight with his party’s refusal to advance legislation instrumental in furthering the Trump administration’s deportation of illegal aliens. Wanting to assist the president in his efforts, DeSantis called for a special session of the legislature earlier this month to pass enforcement measures that would increase penalties for illegals, enhance cooperation between local and state authorities with federal immigration authorities, and more.
