Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed a state budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year that includes over $500 million in funding aimed at combating illegal immigration. The plan, part of a broader $115.6 billion initiative called "Focus on Fiscal Responsibility", outlines significant investments in immigration enforcement while also cutting state spending and reducing government positions in Florida.
"Florida's steadfast commitment to fiscal conservatism is why we are in such good financial shape," said Governor Ron DeSantis while presenting the budget on the Florida Government's official website.
"Florida has experienced historic success by keeping government spending low while balancing significant investments in meaningful initiatives," continued DeSantis. "These include expanding workforce education for high-demand jobs, providing family-first tax relief, ensuring that Florida's students can access a quality education that fits their needs, expanding infrastructure to reduce congestion, and restoring the Everglades."
The governor's new proposal allocates $505 million to the Florida Division of Emergency Management to assist federal immigration enforcement, reinforcing state efforts to curb unauthorized migration.
Additionally, $4.4 million is to be designated to establish a Special Immigration Enforcement Unit within the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which would be tasked with securing the state's coastlines and waterways from unauthorized entry.
DeSantis' budget also seeks to strengthen the state's enforcement of E-Verify, the federal system that verifies employment eligibility, by adding 10 positions to the Department of Commerce for monitoring compliance. State lawmakers had recently criticized the administration for lax enforcement of E-Verify requirements, noting that no citations had been issued since 2022, which prompted the governor to issue warning letters to over 40 state businesses.
The governor's spending proposal comes after GOP lawmakers recently rejected his plan to allocate $350 million for transporting migrants from Florida to other locations. That decision was part of a broader move by legislators to strip the governor of certain immigration enforcement powers which would be transferred to Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, a move DeSantis has vowed to veto.
House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, said DeSantis' proposed budget did little to help Floridians with the cost of living, according to The Miami Herald. "The Governor's budget proposal focuses on grabbing headlines and trying to keep him relevant in the national spotlight while leaving Florida's families behind," she said in a statement.
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