Florida Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted the arrest of 20,000 migrants in the last nine months and his administration’s leadership on the anti-immigrant agenda in the United States during his latest ‘State of the State’ address to the Florida Congress.
DeSantis, who will leave office in January 2027 after eight years in office in Florida, listed among his major accomplishments banning “sanctuary cities” for migrants and making ‘287(g)’ agreements mandatory for local authorities to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Ron DeSantis delivers his last speech
Governor Ron DeSantis Delivers 2026 State of the State Address https://t.co/E2IcejaG3R
– Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 13, 2026
“Florida is the only state in the country that requires state and local cooperation with federal (immigration) authorities.
“In the past nine months alone, Florida is responsible for the apprehension of nearly 20,000 illegal aliens turned over to the Department of Homeland Security,” the governor noted.
The governor, who was a Republican Party presidential hopeful in 2024, has previously emphasized that Florida has led the way in implementing immigration policy during the current administration of President Donald Trump.
Under his tenure, Florida passed SB 4-C, one of the most aggressive local anti-immigrant laws in the country because it makes it a state crime for undocumented immigrants to enter the state.
In addition, civil organizations have accused Florida of creating an immigration detention model for the rest of the United States based on nicknames as a marketing scheme.
This follows the opening in 2025 of the Alligator Alcatraz, west of Miami, and Deportation Depot, in the northern part of the state.
The governor noted that the Florida Congress, which is now beginning its session, is analyzing reforms to “further discourage illegal immigration.”
Among the changes contemplated by the local legislature are the creation of fines for employers who ignore the immigration status of their workers and criminal charges for those who hire more than 50 undocumented employees.
There are also initiatives that will seek to prevent undocumented immigrants in Florida from accessing loans or sending remittances.
In addition to declaring a “presumption of guilt” for migrants involved in traffic accidents.
Filed under: Ron DeSantis last speech
With information from EFE
