DeSantis deploys troops to Florida coast to prepare for expected Haitian refugees

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced the deployment of more than 250 personnel to the southern coast of Florida ahead of an expected surge in illegal arrivals from Haiti.

The Haitian government has largely collapsed and the nation is facing rampant gang warfare. Earlier this month, gangs stormed prisons and freed roughly 3,700 inmates, leading to a chaotic uptick in gang violence and the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The U.S. has urged its citizens to leave.

"For quite some time, the State of Florida has been dedicating significant resources to combat illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries such as Haiti," DeSantis posted on X. "Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state."

"No state has done more to supplement the (under-resourced) U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida," he added.

The governor in January of 2023 activated the Florida National Guard to support federal personnel amid an uptick in maritime illegal alien arrivals to the Florida Keys, which had become a common landing point for would-be entrants from Cuba, Haiti, and the rest of the Caribbean.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.