Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will deploy additional personnel and assets to Southern Florida in anticipation of a migrant influx from Haiti.

“For quite some time, the State of Florida has been dedicating significant resources to combat illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries such as Haiti,” DeSantis said.

“Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state. No state has done more to supplement the (under-resourced) U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida,” he continued.

“Currently, state agencies have security and surveillance assets in South Florida and the Keys as a part of Operation Vigilant Sentry to stop illegal immigration at sea,” a press release from the governor’s office read.

The directive sends the following additional personnel and assets:

  • The Florida Department of Law Enforcement: 39 additional officers.
  • The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: 23 additional officers with eight additional seacraft.
  • The Florida National Guard: 48 additional Guardsmen with four additional helicopters.
  • The Florida Highway Patrol: 30 additional officers with an additional aircraft and drones for surveillance.

Cont. from the press release:

Governor DeSantis will also today authorize a deployment of the Florida State Guard to the Keys to assist in the operation. This deployment includes up to 133 soldiers.

Illegal immigrants feel empowered to enter the sovereign territory of the United States because of the federal government’s refusal to diligently enforce our immigration laws and protect the integrity of the border. When a state faces the possibility of invasion, it has the right and duty to defend its territory and people. Under Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida will act.

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WFLA reports:

DeSantis has a history of going after undocumented migrants. In 2022, the Florida governor drew criticism for flying 50 immigrants from Texas via Florida to Martha’s Vineyard in a move that many called a political stunt.

In 2023, DeSantis signed off on an immigration bill that included $12 million for more migrant flights, which drew criticism from his opponents and calls for investigations into the practice.

Earlier this year, during his failed bid to secure the Republican Presidential nomination, DeSantis vowed to issue mass deportations of migrants if elected president.

“They all have to go back. We have to enforce the rule of law in this country,” he said.

Department of Defense officials testified in Congress on Tuesday, discussing the possibility of the migrant influx due to Haiti’s deteriorating conditions.

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