Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law SB 168: Federal Immigration Enforcement. The bill prohibits state and local governments from having sanctuary policies in effect and requires such entities to support and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
“Earlier this year, I made a promise that we would ban sanctuary cities in Florida and today we are delivering on that promise,” the governor said. “I am proud to sign the bill presented to me by the Florida Legislature to uphold the rule of law and ensure that no city or county jurisdiction can get in the way of Florida’s cooperation with our federal partners to enforce immigration law. This is about public safety, not about politics. We must do everything within our power, and use all the tools available to us, to ensure that our communities are safe.”
The governor contends SB 168 makes great strides in protecting the public from illegal aliens who unlawfully reside in our state by prohibiting state and local entities from having policies in place which prohibit or impede law enforcement from cooperating with a federal immigration agency. The bill requires any sanctuary policies already enacted to be repealed, and gives both the governor and the attorney general authority to initiate enforcement actions against entities who violate the bill’s provisions.
