Gov. DeSantis: May Fire Officials Who Don’t Cooperate with Trump’s Deportation Efforts

On January 13, 2025, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signaled that he was prepared to remove public officials who refused to cooperate with the incoming Trump administration’s deportation operations. DeSantis cited his authority under Florida law to suspend officials who neglect their duties, positioning Florida as one of the most aggressive state-level allies of Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.

DeSantis Threatens to Fire Non-Compliant Officials

DeSantis made his position clear in direct terms, warning local officials that obstruction of federal immigration enforcement would carry consequences.

“I have the authority, with respect to certain officials, to suspend them from office if they are neglecting their duties,” DeSantis said.

The statement was aimed at any Florida official — including local sheriffs, prosecutors, or other elected officials — who might attempt to adopt sanctuary-style policies or otherwise resist cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations under the new administration.

Florida as a Top Ally for Trump’s Immigration Agenda

DeSantis’s comments positioned Florida as one of the Trump administration’s most cooperative partners at the state level. Under DeSantis’s leadership, Florida had already taken several steps to align with stricter immigration enforcement, including signing legislation in 2023 that required employers to use E-Verify, imposed penalties on transporting undocumented immigrants into the state, and invalidated driver’s licenses issued by other states to undocumented individuals.

The governor’s willingness to use his suspension authority against non-compliant officials represented an escalation, signaling that Florida would not tolerate the kind of sanctuary-city resistance that had characterized the response of some jurisdictions during Trump’s first term. Cities like San Francisco, New York, and Chicago had previously refused to cooperate with ICE detainer requests, setting up legal and political battles between local and federal authorities.

The Legal Framework

Under Florida’s constitution, the governor has the authority to suspend county officers for malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, or other specified causes. DeSantis had previously used this power in high-profile cases, including the 2022 suspension of Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren over Warren’s public statements that he would not enforce certain Florida laws. That suspension was upheld by a Florida Senate trial.

DeSantis’s invocation of this authority in the context of immigration enforcement suggested he was prepared to treat non-cooperation with federal deportation operations as a dereliction of duty subject to the same removal process.

Key Takeaways

• Governor DeSantis said he had “the authority to suspend” officials from office if they neglect their duties by refusing to cooperate with Trump’s deportation operations.
• The statement positioned Florida as one of the incoming Trump administration’s top state-level allies on immigration enforcement.
• DeSantis had previously used his suspension power against a state attorney who refused to enforce certain Florida laws, establishing a precedent for the approach.