MIAMI - As this year's third Florida special legislative session on immigration gets under way this week in Tallahassee, there is one unmistakable conclusion: Gov. Ron DeSantis lost. The man whose failed presidential campaign was based on the slogan: Never Back Down, did indeed back down.

“Today, the Florida Legislature has passed the strongest legislation to combat illegal immigration of any state in the entire country,” DeSantis said before signing the bills and handing a sharpie to each of the legislative leaders standing behind him. "We are ahead of the curve on ending the illegal immigration crisis.”