Ron DeSantis deploys Florida law enforcement officers to southern border
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Florida deployed dozens of law enforcement officials to defend the U.S.-Mexico border, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Friday.
Heeding calls for assistance from his fellow governors in Texas and Arizona, DeSantis dispatched more than 50 members of the state's Department of Law Enforcement, Highway Patrol, and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to Texas to "provide additional support in response to the security crisis at the southern border," according to a press release. Mission-critical equipment was also deployed.
"When the Governors of Texas and Arizona reached out for help, Florida answered the call," DeSantis said. "We are witnessing a catastrophe at the southern border under the Biden Administration. In recent months, we have seen people from the terrorist watch list, known sex offenders, and a flood of fentanyl cross over the border. This is a national security crisis, and we must get it under control."
DESANTIS SENDING FLORIDA OFFICERS TO RESPOND TO BORDER CRISIS IN TEXAS AND ARIZONA
Col. Roger Young, director of the FWC’s Division of Law Enforcement, said his team's training and equipment will let them"provide assistance in challenging remote locations" along the southern border.
Personnel are expected to be deployed for 16-day shifts, and more than 20 county sheriff departments have pledged to help cover duties typically filled by the deployed officers, the press release said.
DeSantis vowed on June 16 to send law enforcement to Texas and Arizona, states along the border where there has been a surge of migrants in recent months.
"We are the first state to commit support for this effort in response to the request that was submitted by the governors of Texas and Arizona, and we're proud to lead, yet again, on issues that matter to Floridians," DeSantis said at the time.
Republican Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona had called on governors from the other 48 states to patrol the border or else risk seeing the effects of continued high illegal migration spill over into inland states.
"Given the staggering number of violations now occurring in Texas and Arizona, additional manpower is needed from any state that can spare it. With your help, we can apprehend more of these perpetrators of state and federal crimes, before they can cause problems in your state," the governors wrote in a letter released on June 11, noting the threats posed by drug smugglers and illegal immigrants with criminal histories.
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The United States is facing a large number of migrants, particularly unaccompanied minors, crossing the southern border. More than 180,000 migrants were encountered at the border in May, according to data collected by Customs and Border Protection. Reports indicate an unprecedented 117,000 migrant children could enter the U.S. by the end of the year.
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Tags: News, Ron DeSantis, Florida, Border Security, Border, Border Crisis
Original Author: Carly Roman
Original Location: Ron DeSantis deploys Florida law enforcement officers to southern border
