Florida’s immigration enforcement model

Published August 7, 2025 5:00am ET



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.

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