Skip to main content
We may receive compensation from affiliate partners for some links on this site. Read our full Disclosure here.

It’s Official! Florida Bill To Ban Sanctuary Cities Signed Into Law!


49 views

Sanctuary cities are now officially banned in Florida – one of the states with the highest illegal immigrant populations in America – thanks to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts and allegiance to solving the border crisis, which is something he promised during his run for governor of The Sunshine State.

Check out Gov. DeSantis’ tweet celebrating the official signing of the bill into law:

This breaking news hit Twitter Friday and is now trending.

Take a look:

It's great to see a governor following through with his campaign promises and not throwing them out the door upon getting elected.

I'm sure Trump is proud of DeSantis for doing his part to curb illegal immigration, as these Twitter users are also:

CBS News has more details:

All law enforcement agencies in Florida will have to cooperate with federal immigration authorities under a bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday during a ceremony that often felt like a campaign rally for him and President Donald Trump.

The legislation prohibits local governments from enacting "sanctuary" polices that protect undocumented immigrants from deportation — which no Florida cities had actually done. Local law enforcement will be required to honor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers for undocumented immigrants who are arrested or convicted of a crime. The bill exempts crime victims and witnesses.

"Sanctuary cities basically create law-free zones where people can come to our state illegally and our country illegally, commit criminal offenses and then just walk right out the door and continue to do it," DeSantis said. "In Florida, that will not happen."

The bill was signed in the Okaloosa County Commission's meeting room with an overflow crowd dotted with red "Make America Great Again" hats. Okaloosa, in the western Panhandle, is one of the state's most conservative counties. The crowd cheered wildly in support of the bill and equally as loud at the mention of President Trump.

Mr. Trump, who has made illegal immigration a top priority, helped DeSantis win the GOP primary last year and campaigned for DeSantis in the general election. Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, another close Trump ally who campaigned across the state for DeSantis, also spoke at the ceremony.

The Orlando Sentinel also said:

Gov. Ron DeSantis will sign legislation Friday to ban so-called sanctuary cities in Florida, a proposal that was one of the most controversial issues of the 2019 legislative session and a top priority of the governor.

    

A DeSantis spokeswoman confirmed Thursday that he will sign the bill. Senate sponsor Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican who doubles as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, said he will be in Okaloosa County with DeSantis and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., for a bill-signing ceremony.

     

DeSantis promised to ban sanctuary cities during his campaign for governor last year. The bill, which calls for one of the toughest bans on sanctuary cities in the nation, was formally sent to the governor Thursday.

The House and Senate passed the bill May 2 after heavy debate and a backlash from Democrats and immigrant-rights groups. Supporters of the bill pushed to force local governments and law-enforcement agencies to fully comply with federal immigration detainers and share information with federal immigration authorities after undocumented immigrants are detained.

Additionally, Politico commented:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday is expected to sign a sweeping bill to ban sanctuary cities, keeping a campaign promise to enact hard-line immigration policies that had stalled previously in the Republican-controlled Legislature.

DeSantis is scheduled to sign the bill at an event in the GOP-heavy Florida Panhandle in the chambers of the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners. The signing will occur as President Donald Trump prepares for a trip to Orlando, where he will kick off his 2020 reelection campaign on June 18.

    

 

Past Republican efforts to impose a ban in Florida have stalled over fears that it might alienate Hispanic voters and erode GOP political support in one of the nation’s biggest swing states. That thinking changed after Trump and DeSantis were elected after promising to crack down on immigration. 

DeSantis this year asked legislators for the bill “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,” his spokesperson, Helen Aguirre Ferré, said after POLITICO first published news of the bill signing. “Public safety is paramount and local law enforcement agencies can and should work with the federal government to ensure that accountability and justice are one in our state.”



 

Join the conversation!

Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!

Hey, Noah here!

Wondering where we went?

Read this and bookmark our new site!

See you over there!

Thanks for sharing!