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Ron DeSantis: “No state has done more to make a difference [in immigration…”

Featuring: Ron DeSantis, Republican | Governor of Florida

5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement

Published May 22, 2025 | Video Starts at 33:09

I also want to thank Kevin Guthrie from our Division of Emergency Management, who was involved in putting it together and would also be really spearheading the execution of this. We've made a difference. No state has done more to make a difference [in immigration operations]. The state is safer as a result of what these guys have done. Taxpayers are better off as a result of what these guys done. (33:09–33:12)

CLAIM

Claims Florida has done the most to impact immigration operations.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Ron DeSantis

“We've gotten interdicted and repatriated just with the state efforts alone. 18,000 illegal aliens.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 09:17-09:26
“Biden he let in 7, 8 million alone.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 10:24-10:27
“There have been more nationwide injunctions in the first four months of this year than in the previous four years against the Biden…”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 17:01-17:11
“All 67 Florida sheriffs have entered into 287 agreements with Immigration and Custom Enforcement.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 22:08-22:17
“More than half of [law enforcement agencies with 287 agreements] are in one state, the state of Florida.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 22:34-23:06
“Since I came in we've paid off 41% of [state debt].”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:08:26-1:08:30
“Your share of the state debt is like $400 per person. Your share of the federal debt is $105,000 per US citizen.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:12:25-1:12:35
“Florida banned sanctuary cities in 2019.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 00:55-01:02
“We passed strong E-Verify provisions a couple of years ago.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 03:19-03:25
“Florida is the leading state by far in usage of E-Verify.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 04:02-04:06
“We refused to do driver's licenses for illegal aliens.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 05:52-05:56
“We required hospitals to collect and report the health care costs for people who are here illegally.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 06:22-06:31
“The amount of money for illegal aliens showing up to the emergency room has declined dramatically.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 06:47-06:57
“We launched Operation Vigilance Sentry.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 08:37-08:40
“He decimated the interior enforcement.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 10:40-10:44
“We required state and local law enforcement agencies all across Florida, municipal, county, and state, to participate with federal…”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 11:31-11:44
“We wanted to make it a state offense for someone to come into Florida illegally, especially people that have been deported previously.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 12:18-12:27
“Biden won't enforce immigration law.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 14:09-14:14
“States can take federal immigration law and make sure that's upheld in our state.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 14:13-14:23
“San Francisco or Los Angeles or California are sanctuary jurisdictions.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 14:34-14:46
“One district judge in one pocket of the United States of America... do not have the power to issue edicts that apply nationwide.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 15:28-15:39
“In Florida, [state debt] is 41% lower [over the last six years].”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 17:21-17:23
“We also cracked down on this Catch and release.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 18:11-18:15
“Before I became governor, Florida enacted in-state tuition rates for illegal aliens.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 18:56-19:02
“That was rolled back finally.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 19:54-19:57
“The leadership in the Florida House reject doing anything on immigration enforcement.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 20:14-20:20
“We got over 1100 illegal aliens across the state apprehended [in Operation Tidal Wave].”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 23:31-23:36
“We have in Florida probably 70 to 80,000, maybe more illegal aliens who've already gone through a lot of process.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 24:51-25:00
“There's probably 800,000 to a million [illegal aliens] throughout the country that are under those similar orders.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 26:02-26:08
“Florida Highway Patrol is leading this effort all across the United States.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 26:16-26:23
“Earlier this week, we had more than 100 FHP troopers sworn in as special deputy U.S. marshals.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 27:39-27:47
“FHP is able to conduct immigration operations wholly independent of the federal government.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 28:06-28:17
“There's no one else in the country where they're doing that [independent immigration operations].”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 28:06-28:17
“We've put plans on the table to say we can handle [immigration processing] too.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 28:37-28:37
“In Florida, we've got the best emergency response and management capabilities in the country.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 28:41-28:48
“We have a plan on the table, if the feds approve, where we can take some of the military judge advocates, let them act as immigration…”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 31:08-31:18
“We can do makeshift detention space and then even do transportation.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 31:18-31:24
“Highway Patrol is more active in this sphere [immigration operations] than anywhere else in the country.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 31:36-31:46
“The state is safer as a result of what these guys have done.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 33:12-33:16
“We had a ban on sanctuary policies, so they couldn't sabotage it under state law.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:03:04-1:03:10
“We did $1,000 bonuses three years in a row for every single sworn law enforcement officer in the state of Florida.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:04:23-1:04:30
“We have a $5,000 recruiting program so that new hires can get $5,000 right off the top.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:04:29-1:04:37
“We need to give Highway Patrol a raise. We need to increase their salaries.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:04:46-1:04:53
“The company was an out of state company that was responsible for hiring those folks. They are under federal investigation.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:07:03-1:07:10
“The budget we have right now after my vetoes last June is less than the budget that was the year before us.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:08:36-1:08:45
“We've had billions of dollars for teacher salaries increases that had never been done in Florida history before.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:09:16-1:09:23
“We have the lowest number of state employees per capita in the nation.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:10:00-1:10:05
“The Florida House has voted to undo $60 million worth of spending reductions that I put into the budget last June.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:11:22-1:11:32
“We're here after having done things that made Florida the number one economy in the country two years in a row by both CNBC and by U.S. news…”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:12:03-1:12:15
“We've saved hundreds of millions of dollars in interest costs while retiring the debt earlier.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:13:04-1:13:11
“They came up with in the Florida House this bill that would basically have made Florida a sanctuary jurisdiction.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:14:44-1:14:50
“The House leadership tried to do a de facto sanctuary bill in January.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:14:44-1:14:50
“The House of Representatives voted to kneecap our ability to continue on [anti-woke reforms].”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:15:52-1:15:58
“We've done things like do litigation reform because Florida has a serious lawsuit culture.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:15:58-1:16:05
“We have legislation in place that basically says if you don't do maximum participation with federal immigration authorities, that can…”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:18:48-1:19:05
“Orange county, they said they were going to do sanctuary policy. Attorney general wrote them a letter saying, you know, you ought to maybe…”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:20:19-1:20:30
“Our fiscal year starts July 1.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:21:16-1:21:19
“If we said we were going to pay down debt, we're going to work to pay down more debt.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:23:05-1:23:10
“If we said we're going to support law enforcement, we're going to support law enforcement.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:23:09-1:23:13
“If we said we're going to support, you know, road projects and transportation to make sure that we don't get overwhelmed with even more…”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:23:12-1:23:22
“I would not want to do anything that would foreclose our ability to do property tax relief for Florida residents.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:23:35-1:23:43
“We cannot allow [the idea of] property tax relief to die and to be killed by actions of the Florida legislature.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:24:47-1:24:56
“We landed where we needed to land and got the job done, and now we're leading the country [on immigration].”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:25:16-1:25:22
“People like the fact, you know, that we are well run, well managed and that we've been able to deliver on a lot of key things for the…”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:25:50-1:25:59
“If you're for law enforcement and you don't want to give them a raise, then stop pretending that you're for law enforcement.”
5.12.25 - Governor DeSantis Holds Press Conference on Florida's Immigration Enforcement | Uploaded May 22, 2025 | 1:26:02-1:26:09