Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to send more than 1,100 police officers to the Texas-Mexico border, the Republican leader announced Tuesday.
DeSantis, who is expected to run for the presidency any day, announced a similar move in June 2021 with around 100 officials. The Trump rival has boasted about sending migrants to other places including Martha’s Vineyard and has criticized President Joe Biden for his handling of the border.
“The impact of Biden’s border crisis is being felt by communities across the country, and the federal government’s waiver undermines our country’s sovereignty and the rule of law,” DeSantis said in an online post opinion on Tuesday.
“At my direction, state agencies, including law enforcement and the Florida National Guard, are being deployed to Texas with personnel, boats and planes. While Biden ignores the crisis he created, Florida stands ready to help Texas navigate this crisis,” he added.
The statement also included the numbers of those to be deployed: 800 Florida National Guard soldiers, 200 Florida Department of Law Enforcement police officers, 101 State Highway Patrol Troopers, 20 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agents, and 20 emergency management personnel.
DeSantis also plans to deploy five “fixed-wing aircraft with surveillance equipment and downlink capabilities, with two flight crew teams, two mobile command vehicles and two command teams, 17 available unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and support teams, and 10 ships — including airboats, shallow-draft ships, and ships.” medium range.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also released a statement on Tuesday urging governors across the country to deploy officers to the border: “Join our mission to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity and deploy that.” all available personnel and law enforcement resources to Texas.” -Mexican border to serve along with our thousands of Texas National Guard Soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety Soldiers.”
Title 42 — the regulation enacted during the pandemic that empowers border officials to refuse asylum seekers at the border in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19 — expired Thursday night. The impact on the already struggling immigration system was expected to be drastic, with Biden acknowledging that a “looming”chaoticTransition. But Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN Sunday that the number of border crossings has fallen by nearly 50% since the deadline.
Decades-old Title 8 was reintroduced Friday after Title 42 expired. Title 8 would ban deported migrants from re-entering the country for at least five years and face jail time if they enter illegally. CBS reported.
The move follows the desire of Florida Republicans Approval of a $12 million bill to DeSantis’ migrant transportation plans earlier this month and consistent with its broader efforts to step up anti-immigration efforts.
Mexico’s president criticized DeSantis’ actions last week.
“Why does [DeSantis] We must take advantage of people’s pain, migrants’ pain and people’s need for political gain,” Andrés Manuel López Obrador said at a press conference last week. according to Politico. “It’s immoral. This is politics.”
He added, “Now I’ve found out that the governor of Florida – imagine Florida, which is full of migrants – is taking repressive, inhumane measures against migrants in Florida because he wants to be one.” [presidential] Candidate. Can’t he make another suggestion to convince people?”
In the states, Democrats have condemned DeSantis’ attack on immigrants.
“The recent actions implemented by the Republican-led Florida Legislature demonstrate that Governor DeSantis would rather incite fear, encourage racial profiling and harm Florida’s economy than support the state’s Hispanic population in times of need,” he said Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairs Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-California) and Vice Chair Darren Soto (D-Florida) in a joint statement: The Hill reported.
“Religious leaders, civil rights groups, chambers of commerce and others have spoken out against these draconian measures because they will slow economic growth, dwindle our workforce, hurt small businesses, drive up inflation and severely damage our international tourism,” they added.
HuffPost has reached out to several immigration advocacy groups for comment.