Rep. Lawrence McClure defended his choice to name Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson as the state’s new chief immigration officer following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ criticism.
McClure was asked why Simpson would be the right fit for the job during late Tuesday afternoon’s debate over the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act — the TRUMP Act.
“I don’t know what the insinuation is. I’ve certainly read the folks that are trying to impugn his character,” McClure said late Tuesday during the debate for HB 1-B. “So why do we pick him? Well, because he’s a good man. Why do we pick his agency? Because they’ve got good people. That’s it.”
His remarks earned a brief round of applause on the House floor.
Earlier in the day, DeSantis attacked Simpson on social media as he complained that Republican lawmakers are pushing watered down immigration reforms.
“It is also the case that the current Commissioner, Wilton Simpson, has voted to give drivers licenses and in-state tuition to illegals. He even refused to oppose allowing illegals to practice law in Florida. Do we want the fox guarding the hen house?” DeSantis wrote on X.
McClure, the House bill’s co-sponsor, spoke out Tuesday without naming DeSantis by name.
“It’s a little shocking to me, quite frankly, to hear the pushback on the Department of Agriculture. I think it’s been said ‘there’s a fox guarding the hen house.’ The comedy of that’s not lost on me seeing as how our Commissioner of Agriculture was an egg farmer not so long ago,” McClure said.
McClure added that in crafting HB 1-B, it makes sense for Simpson to be the new state officer coordinating with the federal government on immigration.
“We looked at Cabinet positions, and we said, ‘Where are their boots on the ground? Where is their law enforcement? Where are there folks that are already engaging in this process?’” McClure said.
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