On Friday (January 6), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis activated the state’s National Guard to assist local law officials in response to hundreds of migrants arriving in the Florida Keys.
DeSantis signed an executive order directing the National Guard o mobilize. The executive order also instructed local law enforcement and other state agencies to assist local governments in their efforts to respond to the landing of migrants.
In a press release announcing the executive order, DeSantis said his intervention was necessary given President Joe Biden’s “lawless immigration policies,” which he described as continuing “unabated.”
DeSantis also highlighted the “failure” of the Biden administration to tackle mass migration meant local law enforcement — who “lack the resources to deal with the crisis” — had to pick up the slack.
He explained that activating Florida’s National Guard and “directing state resources” would “help alleviate the strain on local resources.”
DeSantis’s decision to introduce these measures cones as 500 migrants arrived in the Florida Keys on New Year’s Day. Three hundred of the migrants arriving on January 1 landed on islands within the Dry Tortugas National Park. Their arrival prompted the National Park to close temporarily.
The Florida Governor also revealed that roughly 8,000 Migrants had arrived in Florida since August 2022.
DeSantis’ release expressed that the arrival of the Migrants was “particularly burdensome” for Monroe County’s Sheriff’s Office since they lacked the resources to deal with the volume of Migrant arrivals.
The assistance of the National Guard, who will be deploying airplanes and helicopters to reinforce the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine patrols, will intercept the migrants, guaranteeing their safety.
