I spoke with the president today, and I told him I am working on this and we want to be helpful and he was basically, ‘I want as strong as possible, as strong as possible,’” DeSantis told supporters in the call.

Florida Republican lawmakers have defied Gov. Ron DeSantis' call for a special session on immigration by tossing out the governor's proposals and convening their own special legislative session to carry out President Donald Trump's federal immigration orders.

In a special session on Monday, leaders seemed to be declaring their independence from a governor who has wielded so much power that legislative sessions have become largely predictable rubber stamps.