In order to help with the “alarming surge of migrants landing in the Florida Keys” and to aid in efforts to stop further landings along the Florida Keys, Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order activating the Florida National Guard, Fox News informed.
The decree also instructs other state agencies, including those in charge of law enforcement, to allocate funds to help local governments deal with the sudden rise in migrant landings in South Florida. Most of the migrants are escaping from Cuba and other Caribbean countries.
To support water interdictions and ensure the safety of migrants trying to cross the Florida Straits into Florida, the state will deploy air assets, including planes and helicopters from the Florida National Guard, as well as increase marine patrol by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
DeSantis’ action follows the Coast Guard’s Wednesday and Thursday transportation of more than 300 migrants to Key West from Dry Tortugas National Park, which is located 70 miles to the west of Key West. They needed to be transported to U.S. Border Patrol stations by seven charter buses.
After hundreds of migrants arrived at the islands over the New Year’s weekend, the Area Service was compelled to close the park. Residents and guests can once again enter the park beginning on January 8.
More than 8,000 migrants have been found in the waters off the coast of Florida since August 2022, according to the governor’s office.
The U.S. Border Patrol reported on Friday that within the previous 24 hours, agents had reacted to five landings in the Florida Keys and had detained 90 Cuban migrants.
The revelation from DeSantis comes a day after the Biden administration unveiled a new strategy for immigration from Cuba and other nations at the land border between the United States and Mexico. Biden stated on Thursday that the United States would permit 30,000 people every month from Haiti, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
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