TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order on Friday that provides support for local governments in responding to the recent migrants coming to Florida. 

What You Need To Know

  • Around 350 migrants landed in the Florida Keys this week

  • More than 4,400 migrants, mostly Cubans with some Haitians, have arrived by boat in Florida since August

  • DeSantis signed an order that gives state resources to local governments responding to the migrants

  • The national guard and other agencies will be mobilized

The order officially activates the National Guard in the state and activates other state agencies to help governments that are responding to the migrants that landed in the Florida Keys. 

“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 in a statement. “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 governor’s office reported it planned to use airplanes and helicopters from the state’s National Guard to help local governments, as well as boost marine patrols from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 

The statement also noted Florida’s “long history of helping refugees, including Cubans and others fleeing communist regimes,” as they tried to find support in the United States.

Earlier this week, about 300 migrants entered Dry Tortugas National Park located off of the Florida Keys, with an additional 45 entering Key West.

More than 4,400 migrants, mostly Cubans with some Haitians, have arrived by boat in Florida since August as those two countries face deepening and compounding political and economic crises. Amid the influx in Florida and a much bigger one in Texas, the Biden administration announced new immigration rules Thursday.

The Coast Guard tries to interdict Cuban migrants at sea and return them. Since the U.S. government’s new fiscal year began Oct. 1, about 4,200 have been stopped at sea — or about 43 a day. That was up from 17 per day in the previous fiscal year and just two per day during the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Content from the Associated Press is included in this report.

Executive Order DeSantis Migrant Enforcement by Deanna Gugel on Scribd