DeSantis doubles down on authoritarian playbook with new law targeting ‘foreign countries of concern’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law a sweeping measure (HB 905) that tightens restrictions on government interactions and business dealings with seven countries the state labels as “foreign countries of concern.” The list includes China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, and Venezuela’s Maduro regime — all longstanding targets of U.S. hostility but now subject to new state-level crackdowns.

The law bans public employees and officials from accepting gifts from these countries and empowers local governments to revoke business tax receipts if enterprises violate federal restrictions, particularly with Cuba. DeSantis signed the bill at Miami’s Bay of Pigs Museum, a symbolic nod to anti-Castro sentiment and the bill’s explicit support for a “free and independent Cuba.”

This legislation mirrors the Trump administration’s aggressive posture toward Cuba and other adversaries, including recent sanctions and a controversial fuel blockade condemned by UN experts as “energy starvation.” DeSantis even tied the bill to Trump’s January 2025 executive order challenging birthright citizenship, targeting so-called “birth tourism” from countries like China. “Why would we let that happen?” DeSantis asked, framing it as a threat to American sovereignty.

Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, the bill’s sponsor, framed the law as a bulwark against foreign interference in state and local governments. But this move is less about genuine security and more about stoking fear and expanding authoritarian control at the state level — a hallmark of DeSantis’s tenure.

The law also bans adoption and surrogacy contracts involving citizens or residents of these countries, further entangling immigration and citizenship issues in a punitive framework. Meanwhile, DeSantis dismissed concerns over the cost of a controversial immigrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” refusing to push for its closure despite reports of federal-state talks.

In a telling aside, DeSantis took a jab at Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, criticizing his pandemic policies while flaunting Florida’s “tough on crime” stance. This kind of partisan posturing underscores how DeSantis leverages fear and division to consolidate power.

This new law is another chapter in the playbook of authoritarian overreach, weaponizing anti-foreign rhetoric and expanding state power under the guise of protecting democracy and security. DeSantis’s Florida is fast becoming a testing ground for policies that chip away at civil rights and democratic norms — and it’s a warning sign for the rest of the country.