President Donald Trump deserves much praise for securing the southern border without any new laws and lining up the cash needed for future immigration enforcement in the “one big, beautiful bill.” But Republican governors deserve plenty of credit on border security, too, especially those who effectively turned the tide on illegal immigration in their states before Trump resumed control of the White House.
No one has aided Trump’s mass deportation efforts more than Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who was aggressive on immigration enforcement before Trump’s second term. In fact, DeSantis’s border record could be considered the blueprint for the second Trump administration.
Signed into law by DeSantis in May 2023, Florida’s SB 1718 mandates that every employer with more than 25 employees use the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program. It also bans local governments from issuing identification cards to illegal immigrants, empowers state law enforcement to suspend the business licenses of companies found employing illegal immigrants, and requires hospitals to record the immigration status of all patients, including emergency room visits.
The same so-called experts who said Trump’s enforcement-only policies wouldn’t work said the Florida law would also fail to stop illegal immigration. They warned that even if the law did work to decrease the illegal immigrant population in the state, it would tank the Sunshine State’s economy. The experts were proven wrong on both fronts.
Illegal immigrants left Florida, and as a result, emergency Medicaid claims by illegal immigrants fell significantly across the state, and housing prices stabilized. Meanwhile, as illegal immigrants left the state, Florida’s economy continued to grow. Wages rose in construction, agriculture, landscaping, and hospitality as employers were forced to find native born American workers to replace cheap illegal immigrant labor. DeSantis’s law has been a complete success.
With Trump in office, no state has been a better partner on immigration than Florida. All state agencies have signed 287(g) law enforcement cooperation agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as have all 67 county sheriffs. DeSantis has even twisted a few local arms to get those agreements signed, such as in Orange County. But now, federal and state law enforcement are working together to locate, arrest, and deport illegal immigrants across the state.
State law enforcement officers have since detained over 1,000 illegal immigrants from traffic stops and have assisted in immigration raids, netting more than 1,000 arrests with federal law enforcement.
Then there is the most theatrical element of Florida’s immigration enforcement efforts: “Alligator Alcatraz,” a facility that is capable of holding 2,000 detainees and set for expansion to 4,000. Notably, 600 illegal immigrants detained at “Alligator Alcatraz” have already been deported. Other Republican controlled states are scrambling to set up their own detention facilities.
Florida has even worked with Border Patrol to create a state-funded program that pays for flights home for illegal immigrants who choose to self-deport after they have been encountered during state traffic stops.
WISE CAUTION FROM THE WHITE HOUSE ON IVF
Florida has proven that bold leadership and strong cooperation with federal authorities can deliver real results on immigration. By embracing every available enforcement tool from mandatory E-Verify to the construction of “Alligator Alcatraz,” DeSantis has shown that states can play a meaningful role in immigration enforcement. The results speak for themselves: fewer illegal immigrants drawing on taxpayer-funded services, rising wages for American workers, and an economy that continues to thrive despite dire predictions from the so‑called experts.
As other Republican-led states look to Florida’s model, the Sunshine State stands as both a proving ground and a partner for Trump’s national deportation strategy. The message is clear: When state and federal leaders work together with courage and resolve, immigration laws can be enforced, American workers can prosper, and communities can feel secure once again.
