State law enforcement and National Guard units have been activated in Florida after a sudden influx of illegal immigrants hit the Florida Keys.
Gov. Ron DeSantis took swift action to counter the surprise arrival, signing an executive order that activated state law enforcement to help immigration officials deal with the problem.
According to Florida’s Voice, about 300 migrants entered Dry Tortugas National Park, located in the Gulf of Mexico, just 70 miles west of Key West. They reportedly arrived on makeshift boats.
The influx of illegal immigrants, who began landing on Jan. 1, forced the park’s temporary closure, DeSantis said Friday in a news release.
In the release, he stated the rationale for the executive order and also took shots at President Joe Biden’s immigration policy.
“As the negative impacts of Biden’s lawless immigration policies continue unabated, the burden of the Biden administration’s failure falls on local law enforcement who lack the resources to deal with the crisis,” DeSantis said.
“That is why I am activating the National Guard and directing state resources to help alleviate the strain on local resources.
“When Biden continues to ignore his legal responsibilities, we will step in to support our communities.”
The order requires state law enforcement agencies to assist local officials with manpower and resources to combat the flow of illegal immigrants.
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“The Biden Administration’s response has been inept, failing to provide the resources necessary to respond to the current mass migration event. Instead, the burden falls on local law enforcement, which puts Floridians at risk,” DeSantis said in the news release.
According to the U.S Border Patrol on Friday morning, agents had discovered five landing spots and had taken 90 Cuban migrants into custody in the prior 24 hours, WPLG-TV reported.
Border agents erected tents in the city of Marathon to help with the overflow.
The migrants were provided with food, water and fresh clothes as they were being processed by Customs and Border Protection, according to the TV station.
The 300-plus migrants who landed on New Year’s Day were successfully processed and chartered on buses for safe-keeping; their rickety vessels dotting the Dry Tortugas beaches, per WPLG.
The state of Florida also will provide “air assets, including airplanes and helicopters from the Florida National Guard, and will bolster Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine patrol to support water interdictions and ensure the safety of migrants attempting to reach Florida through the Florida Straits,” DeSantis said in the news release.
The migrant landings come only days after the Biden administration announced a new immigration policy aimed at Cubans and other nationalities.
Biden declared on Thursday that all Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan citizens caught illegally crossing into U.S. territory would immediately be turned away.
About 300,000 Cubans have entered the U.S. illegally since October 2021, although most of them come through the Southern border instead of landing in Florida, WPLG reported.
The most recent influx is the largest Cuban migration in history, the outlet reported, with roughly 2 percent of the island’s population leaving, with America being their primary destination.
