MIAMI — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ fight with the Biden administration over immigration has led to a $1.6 million state-funded border mission in Texas, a lawsuit against the federal government and an executive order enlisting the state’s law enforcement agency to collect information on “potential illegal immigrants” relocated to Florida by the federal government.
Now, the Republican governor wants $8 million to create a new program that would allow the state to contract with private companies to transport “unauthorized aliens” out of Florida.
The proposed program, which the governor wants to pay for with interest accrued from federal funds, and a “series” of incoming legislative bills that he says will fight “back against the Biden border crisis” are the latest battle lines drawn by a governor who appears to be drumming up a potential challenge against President Joe Biden in 2024.
