TALLAHASSEE. - Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo conveyed on Monday that he was "not outraged" at U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deporting criminal illegal immigrants, referencing a clip of former President Barack Obama in which the president took a hardline stance on criminal migrant deportations.
"If you're a criminal, you'll be deported. If you plan to enter the U.S. illegally your chances of getting caught and sent back just went up," Obama said in 2014. "The actions I'm taking are not only lawful, they're the kinds of actions taken by every single Republican president and every single democratic president for the past half-century"
"This Democrat is not outraged," Pizzo responded.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE apprehended 300 illegal migrant criminals, including an attempted murder and a child molester, on President Donald Trump's first full day in office.
Another report indicated ICE arrested 460 illegal immigrants in 33 hours between Jan. 21 and Jan. 22. The offenses included sexual assault, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, drugs and weapons offenses, resisting arrest and domestic violence.
Trump made public safety a priority of his presidential campaign, including removing dangerous migrants from the country. Calls for action in Conservative circles also heightened after three young women, Laken Riley, Rachel Morin, and Jocelyn Nungarary, were all allegedly killed by illegal migrant males.
The president is also expected to sign the Laken Riley Act, which would require the detention of illegal immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes. Specifically, the bill passed on a 64-35 margin in the Senate and 263-156 margin in the House, and included support from Florida Congressman Jared Moskowitz.
Following Moskowitz's approach, Jason Pizzo has taken a pragmatic stance on the illegal immigration debate, a position in line with his more moderate views throughout his political career at the state level.
Florida lawmakers also took charge by adjourning a special session on illegal immigration this week.
With Florida embracing a "MAGA" agenda on issues that pertain to illegal immigration and public safety, Pizzo, a former prosecutor, has reportedly signaled a run for governor.
After being sworn in as Senate leader, the 48-year-old also called on his party to sway from ultra-progressive leftism, a possible symptom of the state's rightward direction into the arms of President Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Trump carried Florida by a whopping 13 points over Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, which was 10 points higher than his victory over former President Joe Biden in 2020. DeSantis also blasted Democratic nominee Charlie Crist by 20 points in 2022.
Pizzo represents Senate District 37 which covers part of Broward and Miami-Dade counties. He was easily elected in SD 37 after defeating Republican candidate Imtiaz Mohammad by over 16 points in November.
