MIAMI.- Ron DeSantis announced that Florida is deploying members of the Florida National Guard (FLNG) and members of the Florida State Guard (FSG) to assist Texas in its efforts to stop what it considered an invasion on the southern border.
Florida is offering up to a battalion of National Guard members (approximately 1,000 soldiers) to Texas, which will be deployed based on that state’s needs, the governor said Thursday, February 1.
These deployments are in addition to the more than 90 officers from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) currently deployed on the border. Additional law enforcement resources are standing by and ready to deploy as requested by Texas state officials.
In December, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data showed that more than 302,000 illegal immigrants were encountered attempting to cross the southern border, the highest month ever recorded.
“States have every right to defend their sovereignty and we are pleased to increase our support for Texas as the Lone Star State works to stop the invasion across the border,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.
“Our reinforcements will help Texas add additional barriers, including razor wire along the border. We do not have a country if we do not have a border,” stressed the president who tries to maintain his national projection despite having abandoned his aspirations to represent the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential elections.
“This is not a new mission for us. For several years we have supported border security missions in Texas, including both federal and state deployments,” said Maj. Gen. John D. Haas, Adjutant General of Florida.
“Last spring, the Florida National Guard was one of the first in the nation to deploy Soldier rotations to support Operation Lone Star in Texas, and we have proudly and willingly supported our own state’s efforts in similar roles here in Florida”.
“The Florida State Guard is prepared to work shoulder to shoulder with partner state agencies in direct support of our brothers and sisters in Texas who are fighting an unprecedented increase in illegal immigration along their border,” said the director of Florida State Guard Mark Thieme.
“The Florida State Guard is prepared to provide rapid emergency response, public safety operations and humanitarian assistance, wherever the need arises.”
Since 2021, Florida has provided direct military and law enforcement assistance to Texas, including FLNG, which supported the Texas Military Department through mission sets including static observation points, roving patrols, and engineer assistance to improve obstacles. FHP has contacted nearly 150,000 illegal aliens, made more than 27,000 traffic stops, resulting in 2,102 human trafficking charges with 2,278 total arrests.
FDLE dispatched officers to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety with arrests of violent felony suspects, including gang members. The suspects were arrested on several charges from the state of Texas, including human trafficking, robbery, firearms, human trafficking, firearms trafficking, child endangerment, escaping from federal custody and possession of substances controlled.
FWC has a total of 540 FWC personnel, 525 motorized patrols and 24 boats deployed.
According to the governor’s office, in fiscal year 2023, CBP recorded 2.5 million encounters, surpassing the previous year’s record. This includes 169 illegal immigrants on the terrorist watch list who attempted to cross the southern border.
Since Biden took office, more than 10 million illegal immigrants have crossed the border, including more than 1.7 million people who escaped authorities. In December alone, approximately 260 million lethal doses of fentanyl were seized at the border, the document stated.
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