Governor Ron DeSantis says he will veto immigration bill

TITUSVILLE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis said ‘yes’ Wednesday morning, when he was asked if he would veto the immigration bill Florida lawmakers passed Tuesday night.

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The answer came as he held a roundtable discussion in Titusville.

Among many, one key issue the governor said he has with the bill is naming the Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson, as the Chief Immigration Officer.

The bill requires the Chief Immigration Officer to approve and enforce agreements between local law enforcement requiring they aid federal immigration officials.

Read: Florida immigration enforcement bill sent to DeSantis after special session vote

It’s something the Director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said will hinder partnerships between law enforcement agencies.

“To put that roadblock in our way, whether its intentional or not, will have a devastating effect on our ability as state law enforcement and local law enforcement to work together,” Dave Kerner said.

The Brevard County Sheriff said he agrees and that these partnerships are crucial to ending the immigration crisis.

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“At the end of the day, while sheriffs don’t make laws, we’re ready to rock and roll,” Sheriff Wayne Ivey said. “When a piece of legislation is placed on this man’s desk that he is ready to sign, we are ready to go.”

One final call from DeSantis, as he said the bill is knee-capping the work already being done by the state.

“I don’t want anything weak,” DeSantis said. “We’ve got to stop with the weak sauce. We have to get strong; we’ve got to make sure this is robust.”

During the press conference, we also heard from a woman who said her husband was killed by an illegal immigrant in a DUI crash.

She said the suspect was a revolving door case with law enforcement, but ICE had never been called. She said with stronger laws proposed by DeSantis, her husband could still be alive.

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