The chaos in Haiti finds Governor Ron DeSantis playing offense to handle a potential influx of Haitians arriving on the southern coast of Florida. He is deploying additional officers and guardsmen to the Keys and South Florida today.
“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,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “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.”
Large numbers of Haitians have come through the open southern border during the Biden border crisis. It is reasonable to expect many will try to come to the Florida southern coast. State agencies have surveillance staff in South Florida and the Keys as part of Operation Vigilant Sentry. Their job is to stop illegal immigration at sea.
Additional personnel and assets will be sent from the following agencies:
- 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.
The governor will also authorize the Florida State Guard to be deployed to the Keys. This deployment includes up to 133 soldiers.
“We cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida.”
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. Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 13, 2024
DeSantis, like Texas Governor Greg Abbott, is doing what President Biden refuses to do. Biden will not secure America’s borders so governors have to step up and do Biden’s job.
“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,” Wednesday’s news release from the governor’s office said. “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.”
Every state is a border state in Biden’s America, thanks to the Biden border crisis.
WPTV reported last week that local Customs and Border Protection agents responded to four to five migrant encounters in the past month. The majority took place in the last few weeks and nearly all of the migrants on board were Haitian.
The U.S. said Monday it would contribute an additional $100 million to a planned multinational effort to counter ongoing violence in Haiti. Gangs have recently asserted violent control over much of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced today that Marines will be deployed to Haiti.
Florida is lucky to have a governor who understands what must be done. Securing Florida and protecting its residents is his top job. He understands that.
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