Since suspending his presidential bid, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has shifted his full focus back to the challenges facing his home state — particularly the ongoing border invasion brought on in large part by President Joe Biden’s lax immigration policies.
In a statement on Friday, he confirmed that an additional group of troops and law enforcement officials will be heading to the Texas-Mexico border in an attempt to stem the tide of illegal immigration.
Today, Florida is deploying an additional 50 National Guardsmen and 76 Florida Highway Patrol troopers to join our other law enforcement officers currently deployed in Texas.
Because of Biden’s refusal to secure the border, states have had to step up. Florida is fulfilling our… pic.twitter.com/8jgpZwKzGa
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 23, 2024
“This is part of a years-long effort for us to help do what the federal government has refused to do, which is to actually defend this country’s borders,” DeSantis said.
Citing the “effective” strategies put in place by GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, he said that a similar approach — involving the dispatch of 50 National Guard members and 76 Florida Highway Patrol officers — would help address the “astronomical” number of undocumented migrants pouring into the U.S. from Mexico.
“You’ve seen the numbers go down, and that’s really because you have Texas putting forth huge effort, and then all these other states coming to help,” the governor added. “So we want to be a part of that. We think this is an American issue, partially just because we should have a secure country, and then partially the effects of this border invasion go to all 50 states.”
While many of those migrants are from Latin America, DeSantis noted that a troubling number of illegal border crossings involve individuals from hostile nations around the world.
“I think the chances are that there’s some bad intentions there for some of these people,” he asserted. “And it’s a huge, huge problem, especially when you look at all the problem countries in this world have had people come through the southern border.”
The governor echoed concerns voiced by other Republican leaders, including presidential primary front-runner Donald Trump, that a terrorist attack is likely to occur in the U.S. due to the ongoing border crisis.
DeSantis denounced the Biden administration’s funding of non-governmental organizations that facilitate and profit from illegal immigration.
“I definitely don’t think the federal government should take your tax dollars and fund that because they’re basically subsidizing the border invasion because folks know they’re coming and they’re going to be able to have this landing spot with these groups,” he said.
