Florida is sending assistance to Texas as part of a greater effort to secure the southern border, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced on Tuesday.
“The impacts of Biden’s Border Crisis are felt by communities across the nation, and the federal government’s abdication of duty undermines the sovereignty of our country and the rule of law,” DeSantis said in an official statement, announcing that Florida is deploying assets to the Lone Star State to assist in addressing the border crisis, particularly in the wake of Title 42 lifting last week.
“At my direction, state agencies including law enforcement and the Florida National Guard are being deployed to Texas, with assets including personnel, boats and planes. While Biden ignores the crisis he created, Florida stands ready to help Texas respond to this crisis,” DeSantis added.
According to the governor’s office, assets include 200 Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) officers, 800 Florida National Guardsmen, 101 Florida Highway Patrol troopers, 20 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, and 20 individuals working in Emergency Management. Additionally, Florida is sending what the DeSantis office described as 17 “unmanned aerial vehicles,” ten vessels, two Mobile Command Vehicles, and “five available fixed wing aircraft with monitoring equipment and downlink capabilities with two aviation crew teams.”
Resources are ready to deploy in the next 24 hours, according to the governor’s office.
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This is not the first time DeSantis has sent help to Texas, sending officers to assist with these issues in both Texas and Arizona in 2021 following Gov. Greg Abbott and then-Gov. Doug Ducey requesting assistance.
“Border states like Texas and Arizona are ‘ground zero’ for this crisis and bear a disproportionate share of those burdens,” they pled at the time, prompting a response from DeSantis.
“I’m proud to announce today that the state of Florida is answering the call. Florida has your back,” DeSantis said.
Tuesday’s announcement comes on the heels of DeSantis taking action against illegal immigration in his own state as well, signing Senate Bill 1718, making the Sunshine State the largest state in the country to do full E-Verify for employment.