TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Three weeks ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis asked state lawmakers to expand a state program he once used to fly migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, seeking the remarkable authority to deport immigrants who are in the country illegally and $350 million to help him do it.

But a dispute with Republican legislative leaders culminated this week in a compromise deal that curtails the unilateral authority the governor used to fly migrants to Democratic strongholds — and eventually phases out the program altogether.

The changes reflect a dramatic shift in the governor’s relationship with a Republican-led Legislature that just three years ago created the state program, granted the governor full discretion over its operations and eventually expanded it to allow DeSantis to relocate migrants from anywhere in the country as he eyed the Republican presidential nomination.

Under the compromise, DeSantis may still get his wish for Florida to play a role in deportations, only it would need to be at the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A bill expected to pass the Legislature Thursday makes clear that any transportation plans would need to be under ICE’s “direct control and supervision.” The federal government would also need to reimburse the state for all transportation costs, which previously had been paid by Florida taxpayers.

Senate President Ben Albritton told reporters on Tuesday that the changes to the program were made to reaffirm that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that Florida stands ready to help President Donald Trump carry out a sweeping mass-deportation plan.

Other Republicans said that with Trump in the White House rather than Joe Biden, Florida’s governor no longer needed the authority to transport migrants within the country.

“President Biden is gone, we are not going to have that issue anymore,” said Sen. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican carrying the bill in the Senate. “There’s no need for political type events like that anymore and so it’s completely irrelevant now.”

Republican Sen. Randy Fine, a critic of the governor’s, said DeSantis “didn’t do a good job running” the state program, pointing to a high price tag and few efforts to transport migrants. DeSantis has only taken credit for two flights under the program since 2022, despite having spent millions in state contracts.

How DeSantis sees it

The deal touted this week both by DeSantis and the leaders of the Florida House and Senate followed weeks of fighting over the role the governor should have in enforcing federal immigration laws. At one point, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez said the governor wanted to be the “deporter in chief,” which he said was a role that belonged to Trump.

As they wrangled over the issue, DeSantis talked about his plans for the state’s initiative, called the Unauthorized Alien Transportation Program.

“We’ve used it to send (them) to places like Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, for example,” DeSantis said. “We want to expand that to be able to send them outside of the country or parts outside the continental United States.”

The governor’s office said Tuesday that it still expects to use the program to carry out deportations, characterizing the compromise deal as an expansion of the governor’s abilities to enforce immigration within Florida. In a statement, a spokesman said it was “not accurate to say that the governor is losing authority” over the state program.

“This legislation actually expands the existing transport program, allowing Florida to transport illegal aliens out of the country rather than simply sending them to sanctuary jurisdictions,” DeSantis’ press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, said in an email to the Herald/Times. “Obviously, for this program to succeed, we will need to coordinate with the Trump administration and ICE.”

Set to expire

The Trump administration has called on state and local law enforcement agencies to assist in federal immigration enforcement efforts in recent weeks. This week, the Legislature plans to officially ask the administration to give the state guidance on how to best help.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond when asked if the Trump administration had indicated to them an intent to use the migrant relocation program.

While used sparingly, Florida’s migrant relocation program has been the subject of lawsuits and criminal inquiries after migrants said they were tricked into taking charter flights with false promises of jobs and other aid. The district attorney in Bexar County, where a state contractor picked up migrants in 2022, did not respond to a request for comment about the status of its case. The Democratic attorney general of California similarly did not answer questions about a case launched in 2023 after Florida dropped migrants off in Sacramento.

Some of the migrants flown by a Florida contractor from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard were at one point considered victims of a potential crime, and were allowed to legally work in the United States and given temporary protections from deportations. One federal lawsuit in Massachusetts is still pending.

Under the bill being considered by the Florida Legislature, the Trump administration would have until June 2027 to use the program. DeSantis is term limited and is set to leave office in January 2027.

One Republican lawmaker said the compromise bill on immigration was a victory because the Legislature was able to bring DeSantis to the table to negotiate.

“I think the winner here is the legislative branch, the Senate and the House, because it brought the governor to the table,” said state Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne. “When we work together we come out with a better product.”

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(Tampa Bay Times reporters Lawrence Mower and Romy Ellenbogen contributed to this report.)

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