DeSantis activates National Guard to take on migration crisis

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday announced that he would activate the state National Guard to help the federal government address the rising tide of illegal migrants entering the nation through the Florida Keys.

An archipelago situated in the state's southeast, the islands provide a critical landing point for many migrants traveling to the United States via the Caribbean Sea.

DeSantis, in his order, directed the National Guard, state law enforcement, and other agencies to "provide resources in support of local governments responding to the alarming influx of migrants landing in the Florida Keys, and providing additional support toward efforts to prevent further migrant landings on Florida’s shores."

"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 press release. "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."

Authorities have encountered more than 8,000 migrants in waters off the Floridian coast since August of 2022, the announcement observed. It further highlighted Jan. 1, 2023, instances of mass landings, including one in which 300 illegal aliens entered the Dry Tortugas National Park and another in which 45 entered Key West.

DeSantis earned a degree of notoriety in his efforts to highlight the Biden administration's lax migration policies, notably flying two planeloads of illegal immigrants to the left-wing enclave of Martha's Vineyard, from which authorities quickly removed them.