Gov. DeSantis criticizes 'TRUMP Act' during visit in Lee County
Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference at Florida Gulf Coast University on Wednesday.
There, he criticized the bill dubbed the "TRUMP Act" that state lawmakers approved Tuesday night in a special session.
The bill calls for harsher penalties for illegal immigrants and removing in-state tuition for those not here legally.
He said it puts a strong name on a weak bill.
"They're trying to leverage Donald Trump's popularity and his reputation for being strong on immigration," he said. "He has been strong out of the gate, no question. The weak sauce that they're trying to jam down your throats here in Florida, I think that's offensive."
DeSantis wants the state to get jails to stop releasing people who are here illegally, known as "catch and release," make companies use E-Verify to check a worker's legal status, hold undocumented immigrants accountable who vote and require state and local law enforcement to deport people.
Immigration attorney Ricardo Skerrett doesn't believe there's anything else legislatures can do.
"Right now, any alien that gets convicted of any crime that would expose that person to jail for more than one year is an aggravated felony for immigration purposes, and that makes them deportable," he said.
DeSantis said he's looking out for the voter.
When asked if he will hold another special session, he said, "We will get this done."