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If greenlighted, the plan would allow Florida to oversee every step of the immigration process—from arrest to detention to rulings on deportation cases. DeSantis summed it up bluntly:
“from soup to nuts, from apprehension to detention.”
The Left’s Outrage Boils Over
Predictably, the announcement unleashed a torrent of fury from Democrats and activist groups. Adriana Rivera from the Florida Immigrant Coalition lashed out, warning:
“To Governor DeSantis, we would remind that, yes, the U.S. Constitution guarantees due process rights to all individuals, regardless of immigration legal status. And no, immigration hearings are not ‘O.J. Simpson trials’ as he hyperbolically but very seriously claimed during today’s pantomime.”
State Representative Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from Orlando, slammed Trump and DeSantis for allegedly prioritizing political showmanship over constitutional principles. She charged:
“Trump and DeSantis are more concerned with strong man politics than they are with the U.S. Constitution.”
And Eskamani added a stark warning about Florida’s dependence on immigrant labor:
“Florida is a very diverse state. We’re highly reliant on immigration for our workforce, whether it is tourism, construction, agriculture.”
Exposing the Left’s Real Fears
Beneath the left-wing outrage lies a deeper fear: that Florida’s plan might actually work—and inspire other red states to follow suit. As DeSantis explained:
“These are not Article III judges. They are executive branch employees, basically. We can absolutely deputize judge advocates from our National Guard units to serve as immigration judges.”
The plan wouldn’t target new arrivals but rather immigrants who’ve already exhausted legal appeals and received final deportation orders. As DeSantis put it:
“There are tens of thousands of illegal aliens in Florida at a minimum that have already been issued final orders of removal, and there’s hundreds of thousands of them throughout the United States of America. So they’ve had a lot of process. They’ve been ordered to be removed.”
Yet activists like Rivera are crying foul, dismissing the proposal as mere political theater:
“theater” and accusing officials of “blaming the judicial branch for upholding the U.S. Constitution.”
A Blueprint for Nationwide Change?
If the Department of Homeland Security grants Florida the authority it seeks, the move could reshape immigration enforcement nationwide. Florida’s broader plan includes new detention centers and expanded apprehension operations, building off the success of “Operation Tidal Wave,” which netted over 1,100 arrests alongside federal partners, targeting dangerous criminals including MS-13 members.
DeSantis said Florida can move fast, deploying the same logistical muscle it uses for hurricane response to swiftly expand detention facilities. And that’s precisely what terrifies Democrats.
Legal Experts Weigh In
Legal scholars say Democrats’ cries of constitutional violations may be overblown. According to legal analysis:
The proposal aligns with President Trump’s authority as Commander in Chief and “could help expedite the Republican’s plot to carry out mass deportations.”
Immigration judges, they point out, aren’t Article III judges requiring Senate confirmation. And National Guard JAG officers already possess significant legal training to handle administrative hearings.
Nonetheless, Eskamani insists this is all a dangerous misuse of state resources:
“pulling resources away from public safety, emergency management and our local coffers.”
In other words, Democrats want Florida focused on hurricanes, not illegal immigration. But conservatives argue that the chaos at the southern border is its own disaster—a crisis pouring drugs like fentanyl into American communities and empowering violent gangs.
A Defining Political Battle
Eskamani has repeatedly dismissed DeSantis’ immigration efforts as “political stunts,” arguing:
“FDEM should be focused on responding to hurricanes and natural disasters — not engaging in immigration enforcement.”
But many conservatives counter that the border crisis is a national emergency requiring extraordinary measures.
In the end, the fury from Democrats signals just how potent Florida’s strategy could become if it wins federal approval. Trump and DeSantis may have found a game-changing way to crack down on illegal immigration—one that could spark a nationwide shift in how states fight to secure their borders.
No wonder the Left is melting down.
