Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responds to Republican lawmaker's actions on a special session tackling immigration, and Colombia agrees to accept migrant flights from the United States.

DeSantis responds to Republicans' move on special session

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Legislature is bucking Gov. Ron DeSantis' call for a special session.

They gaveled in Monday and gaveled out — essentially killing all previously filed bills. 

The Senate and House then launched their own special session, pushing their own immigration policy.

They are saying their own bills will align more with President Donald Trump's immigration orders, rather than the governor's instructions. 

DeSantis responded Monday, saying he was glad that Florida Republicans agreed to hold a special session despite earlier calling such a move premature.

He then went on to list the problems he has with the currently proposed legislation, saying the proposal doesn't go far enough in furthering, "proposals I outlined and that are necessary to ensure that Florida leads on fulfilling the Trump Administration’s mandate to enforce immigration law and deport illegal aliens."

DeSantis also responded to the proposal using stronger language Monday afternoon, calling some of the provisions in the bill unconstitutional. 

Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton released a statement in response, arguing the governor hadn't read the text of the bill, also named the TRUMP Act. 

“The Governor did not read President Trump’s Executive Orders before calling a special session. As a matter of fact, they didn’t exist. And, it would appear he didn’t read SB2B/HB 1B before issuing a response on social media. He leveled serious and inappropriate insults at his fellow Cabinet Officer, local law enforcement officers, and our agricultural community," the two said in a statement released to members of the press.

“The Legislature will not act in a disingenuous or dishonorable way by attacking anyone, especially our law enforcement. Unlike others, the Legislature is not interested in misleading or attacking Floridians, especially Florida law enforcement. Our number one goal is to work together with President Trump. Anyone that says anything otherwise is not reading the bill, not reading the executive orders, or just not telling the truth," the statement continued.

From the jump, legislative leaders resisted DeSantis' call for a special session, calling it "premature" and even "irresponsible."

Leaders are urging lawmakers to remain close to the Capitol.

Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez said in prepared remarks for Special Session 2025-B that the House was canceling the previously scheduled committee meetings for this week to focus exclusively on the Special Session. 

Florida Democrats responded to the drama with a tweet of a man eating popcorn. 

The main bill under consideration in special session B is House Bill 1B, a wide-sweeping bill targeting immigration. The 87-page bill would enable the Commissioner of Agriculture to be more involved in immigration enforcement in the state, if passed in its current form. 

House Bill 1B was heard in three committees Monday afternoon, at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. The Rules & Ethics Committee is scheduled to discuss the legislation at 7 p.m.

Perez said lawmakers will meet on the House floor Tuesday at 10 a.m., "and I anticipate that we will complete our work in one day." 

Additionally, the Florida legislature voted to override some line-item vetoes DeSantis made to the legislature's budget last year. Perez called for the vote, taking care to mention that although the governor vetoed the legislative branch's budget, the executive branch's budget has continued to increase. 

“This veto was at best a misunderstanding of the importance of the appropriation, or, at worst, an attempt to threaten the independence of our separate branch of government. Whatever the rationale, this Special Session represents the first opportunity to correct this veto,” Perez said.

White House says Colombia agrees to take deported migrants after Trump tariff showdown

The White House claimed victory in a showdown with Colombia over accepting flights of deported migrants from the U.S. on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump threatened steep tariffs on imports and other sanctions on the longtime U.S. partner.

Long close partners in anti-narcotics efforts, the U.S. and Colombia clashed Sunday over the deportation of migrants and imposed tariffs on each other’s goods in a show of what other countries could face if they intervene in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. The White House held up the episode as a warning to other nations who might seek to impede his plans.

Earlier, the U.S. president had ordered visa restrictions, 25% tariffs on all Colombian incoming goods, which would be raised to 50% in one week, and other retaliatory measures sparked by President Gustavo Petro's decision to reject two Colombia-bound U.S. military aircraft carrying migrants after Petro accused Trump of not treating immigrants with dignity during deportation. Petro also announced a retaliatory 25% increase in Colombian tariffs on U.S. goods.

Trump said the measures were necessary because Petro’s decision “jeopardized” national security in the U.S. by blocking the deportation flights.

“These measures are just the beginning,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States.”

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a late Sunday statement that the “Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay.”

Leavitt said the tariff orders will be “held in reserve, and not signed." But Leavitt said Trump would maintain visa restrictions on Colombian officials and enhanced customs inspections of goods from the country, “until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned.”

There was no immediate reaction from the Colombian government.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he was authorizing the visa restrictions on Colombian government officials and their families “who were responsible for the interference of U.S. repatriation flight operations." They were being imposed on top of the State Department's move to suspend the processing of visas at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia’s capital, Bogota.