Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the Sunshine State will step up to do even more to help Texas combat the massive flow of migrants along the nation’s southern border.
“Biden has the authority to close this border today if he wanted to. He lacks the will to get the job done. He lacks the capacity to see the problem for what it is,” DeSantis said on Thursday while standing behind a podium bearing a sign with the words “STOP THE INVASION” in all capital letters.
“We’re providing up to one battallion of Florida National Guard,” DeSantis announced, and “our first ever deployment of the Florida State Guard,” he added. He said that the aim is to assist the Lone Star State to “fortify this border.”
DeSantis ditched the presidential campaign trail earlier this month and endorsed former President Donald Trump after coming in a distant second place to Trump in the Iowa GOP presidential caucuses.
“Since 2021, Florida has provided direct law enforcement and military assistance to Texas, including FLNG [Florida National Guard], which supported the Texas Military Department through mission sets including static observation points, roving patrols and engineer assistance with obstacle improvement,” a press release states. “FHP [Florida Highway Patrol] has made contact with nearly 150,000 illegal aliens, conducted over 27,000 traffic stops, resulting in 2,102 Human Smuggling or Human Trafficking charges with 2,278 overall arrests.”
“FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] has sent rotations of officers to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety with arrests of violent felony suspects including gang members. Suspects were arrested on various Texas state charges including human smuggling, burglary, firearms, smuggling of persons, smuggling of persons with a firearm, child endangerment, escape from federal custody and possession of controlled substance. FWC [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission] has deployed a total of 540 FWC personnel, 525 four-wheel drive patrol trucks and 24 vessels,” the press release notes.
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