The Criminal Justice and Safety Committee passed House Bill 1355 (HB 1355) by a vote of 12 to 5 that would require law enforcement agencies to work in conjunction with U.S. Immigration and Border Patrol while also preventing local city governments and political groups from contracting with groups that house, assist, or transport illegal immigrants.

The proposal comes directly from Gov. Ron DeSantis after he showed documented proof of the federal government flying illegal immigrants to Jacksonville International Airport on overnight flights. DeSantis alleged that the Biden administration coordinated over 70 overnight flights that brought immigrants that entered the country illegally into the state from the southern border. The state found that portions of the individuals flown in intended to stay within state borders. One of which was a Honduran national that was brought to Florida through one of the midnight flights who was alleged to have murdered Francisco Javier Cuellar, father of four, in October. “If Biden had not been doing that, if he’d been doing his job, that individual would be alive today,” said DeSantis.

“The Biden administration has not only consciously refused to enforce immigration laws, but it has also developed an operation to secretly resettle illegal aliens into communities across Florida and the rest of the United States,” said DeSantis. “They’re doing this in the dark of night without any coordination with states, without any background checks, and without any efforts to initiate the legal process for their removal. I am glad Attorney General Moody is continuing our fight to hold the Biden Administration accountable for its reckless disregard for immigration laws.”

The bill passed committee just two days after Attorney General Ashley Moody announced that Florida is taking legal action against the Biden administration for ignoring federal immigration law as the situation at the U.S. southwest border continues. The Attorney General filed an amended complaint challenging President Joe Biden’s latest unlawful immigration policy.

The amended complaint comes after an incident entirely separate from Biden’s midnight flights was uncovered that showed dozens of illegal immigrants being brought to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and then bussed to a nearby airport to be sent to their chosen destination inside the United States. Some individuals said that they planned to head to Floridian cities like Jacksonville and Miami.

“The “Parole + Alternatives to Detention” policy is yet another unlawful policy out the Biden administration. “It is appalling that the president is using taxpayer dollars to fund his open-borders agenda — even facilitating flights to transport illegal immigrants around our own country,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody. “Beyond that, his brazen lack of responsibility has led to the absolutely out-of-control conditions at our southwest border — where our border agents came into contact with more than 2 million illegal immigrants last year. While the president’s policies are helping human traffickers, criminals, and deadly drugs find their way across the border and into Florida, I remain committed to fighting to protect Floridians from this disaster.”