Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Friday due to a migration crisis caused by a huge influx of encounters at the US Mexico border and illegal aliens arriving by boat.
DeSantis designated the Director of the Division of Emergency Management as the State Coordinating Officer in the official declaration for so long as the state of emergency lasts.
“On September 28, 2021, I issued Executive Order 21 -233, directing state law enforcement agencies and other state agencies to take necessary actions to protect Floridians from the dangerous impacts of the Biden Border Crisis… and, in recent months, the number of individuals attempting to come to the United States and unauthorized alien interdictions in and around Florida have risen to alarming levels not seen for decades,” the declaration writes.
BREAKING: FL Gov. Ron DeSantis declares a state of emergency over the migration crisis due to the high encounters at the southern border and boats landing in Florida. More details to come. pic.twitter.com/2iAYsbB2KB
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) January 6, 2023
It continues to say that the US Customs and Border Protection have already encountered over 460,000 persons along the Southwest border in the first two months of the fiscal year alone. Last year’s encounters topped out at 2.3 million.
DeSantis bashed President Joe Biden’s lack of leadership on the issue in a press release.
“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,” he 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 State of Florida will deploy 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,” the statement continued.
