TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s House of Representatives has pushed forward legislation that would fund transporting migrants between states and out of Florida. 

What You Need To Know

The House’s Appropriations Committee — made up of mostly Republicans — voted along party lines to advance the Unauthorized Alien Transport Program (HB 58).

The bill sets aside $10 million in funding for “voluntary transport” of unauthorized migrants who are processed and released into the country.

In September, Gov. Ron DeSantis transported 50 migrants from Texas to Massachusetts.

Republican Rep. John Snyder, who sponsored the bill, said it’s about transporting people to sanctuary cities and curbing illegal immigration to Florida.

“What we’re doing, and part of the change to this program, is to give the governor and the Department of Emergency Management as much flexibility as we can to address what, sadly, we have seen as only an increase in the number of encounters of unauthorized aliens at the border,” Snyder said.

Democratic Rep. Kelly Skidmore asked, “Where is Florida’s authority in taking people that are not in Florida to another state using our money? Our taxpayer dollars, to do that?”

However, Snyder said there is nothing preventing the state from doing so.

The bill will now move on to the House Judiciary Committee for debate.