-- After a special session late last month erupted into a dispute between Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida lawmakers will reconvene this week to pass a package of bills targeting illegal immigration, this time with DeSantis' support.

Senate President Ben Albritton (R-Wauchula) and House Speaker Daniel Perez (R-Miami) issued a proclamation Monday evening calling for the special session to begin Tuesday. They also released summaries of bills aimed at helping implement former President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement agenda.

"Over the last several weeks, there has been a great deal of productive discussion on how the state of Florida can best assist President Trump's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, with a particular focus on partnerships between local, state and federal law enforcement to arrest, detain and deport criminal illegal immigrants," Albritton and Perez said in a joint memo to lawmakers.

DeSantis, who previously clashed with Albritton and Perez over immigration policy, issued a statement praising them as "great partners" and also acknowledged Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, whose role in immigration enforcement was a point of contention during the last session.

"With the enactment of these policies, Florida will help the Trump administration to deliver on the president's historic mandate to end illegal immigration," DeSantis said. "This is a big win for the people of Florida and demonstrates that we will continue to lead."

The tone on Monday evening was markedly different from two weeks ago when lawmakers convened for a special session that DeSantis had called to address immigration and other issues. At the time, Albritton and Perez expressed frustration, describing DeSantis' push as premature.

The Republican-controlled House and Senate swiftly shut down that session and reconvened their own, ultimately rejecting DeSantis' proposals and passing an immigration bill that he later threatened to veto.

With immigration enforcement a top Republican priority-especially for Trump-speculation about another special session had grown in recent days. 

The House is scheduled to convene at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, while the Senate will convene at 1:15 p.m., according to information posted on their websites. 

Bills have been filed by Sen. Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota) and Rep. Lawrence McClure (R-Dover), both of whom sponsored the immigration legislation that passed in late January. According to bill summaries, the proposed measures include:
• Increasing criminal penalties for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes.
• Strengthening cooperation between local law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• Establishing a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, composed of the governor, agriculture commissioner, attorney general and chief financial officer.
• Imposing a mandatory death penalty for undocumented immigrants convicted of murder or child rape.

Albritton and Perez underscored that the new legislation builds on previous efforts while incorporating feedback from DeSantis, Simpson and the White House.

"Combining important feedback received from Governor DeSantis and Commissioner Simpson with the very strong legislation passed during Special Session B (the late January session), we are building on the technical assistance from the White House to advance and implement strong policies and provide critical resources to support President Trump's efforts to combat illegal immigration efficiently and effectively," their memo stated.

As Florida's Republican leaders work to align state policy with Trump's national immigration agenda, the upcoming special session is expected to further solidify the state's aggressive approach to immigration enforcement.