Florida

Florida Gov. DeSantis to Send Over 1,000 State Troopers and National Guard Members to US-Mexico Border

In a news release Tuesday, DeSantis said the state has more than 1,100 assets and resources to send to aid what he's calling the "border security crisis"

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Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida will be sending law enforcement officers and Florida National Guard soldiers to the southern border in Texas.

In a news release Tuesday, DeSantis said the state has more than 1,100 assets and resources to send to aid what he's calling the "border security crisis."

Among the assets are:

• 101 Florida Highway Patrol Troopers
• 200 Florida Department of Law Enforcement Officers, in teams of 40
• 20 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officers
• 800 Florida National Guard Soldiers
• 20 Emergency Management Personnel – including radio technicians, logisticians, mechanics and planners
• Five available fixed wing aircraft with monitoring equipment and downlink capabilities with two aviation crew teams
• Two Mobile Command Vehicles and two command teams
• 17 available unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and support teams
• 10 vessels – including airboats, shallow draft vessels, and mid-range vessels

DeSantis has accused President Joe Biden of refusing to secure the border during his presidency, leading to large numbers of migrants crossing the border.

"The impacts of Biden’s Border Crisis are felt by communities across the nation, and the federal government’s abdication of duty undermines the sovereignty of our country and the rule of law," DeSantis said in a statement. "At my direction, state agencies including law enforcement and the Florida National Guard are being deployed to Texas, with assets including personnel, boats and planes. While Biden ignores the crisis he created, Florida stands ready to help Texas respond to this crisis."

The move comes as DeSantis appears to be close to announcing a decision on whether he'll seek the Republican presidential nomination for 2024. DeSantis has made immigration a focal point of his governorship, and in 2021 sent law enforcement to Texas and Arizona to assist with the border.

Earlier this month, DeSantis signed a sweeping immigration bill that stiffens requirements on businesses to check the immigration status of workers and provides more funding for the governor's migrant relocation program.

DeSantis criticized President Biden's inaction on the border situation, saying he has not visited the border in his entire time in office, unlike his own January visit to El Paso in the southern border.

The Biden administration had announced earlier this month that they were sending 1,500 active-duty troops to the border as the pandemic-era Title 42 immigration restrictions came to an end.

A surge of migrants arrived at the border in the days leading up to the end of Title 42 but officials said Monday that they were starting to encounter fewer migrants.

Last month, amid Biden's announcement of his reelection campaign, administration officials announced they would work to swiftly screen migrants seeking asylum at the border, quickly deport those deemed as not being qualified, and penalize people who cross illegally into the U.S. or illegally through another country on their way to the U.S. border.

The administration also announced they will open centers outside the United States for people to apply to fly in legally and settle in the United States, Spain or Canada. The first processing centers will open in Guatemala and Colombia, with others expected to follow.

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