“We have a responsibility to be in this fight,” DeSantis argued.
The Newsom administration proposal calls for the “creation of an Immigrant Support Network” that would connect illegal migrants to legal services providers and other groups if they are facing deportation.
Newsom’s administration has also drawn up plans to help illegal migrants dodge deportation once Trump takes office.
“State and local officials in Florida must help the Trump administration enforce our nation’s immigration laws,” he continued. “In order to do that effectively we are going to need legislation to impose additional duties on local officials and provide funding for those local officials.”
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom convened an emergency legislative session last month to ask state lawmakers for $25 million to fund expected lawsuits the Golden State will file against Trump.
“There also needs to be measures to hold people accountable for violating our anti-sanctuary policies and that Florida needs to make sure that we don’t have any lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally,” the Sunshine State leader added.
DeSantis noted that he expects a “sea change in policies, particularly with respect to the border” shortly after Trump, 78, takes his oath of office. He added that Florida “stands ready, willing, and able” to assist the incoming president to “facilitate these policies.”
The governor indicated that he expects the Legislature to allocate tens of millions of dollars in new spending to expand state immigration enforcement and detention efforts. He also said he would consider activating the Florida National Guard and the Florida State Guard to assist Trump enforce federal immigration laws.
DeSantis warned that he would move to suspend officials from office if they were found to be “neglecting their duties.”
