DeSantis Activates National Guard After Influx Of Migrants To FL Keys

FLORIDA KEYS — Responding to a recent influx of migrants arriving in the Florida Keys, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Friday activating the National Guard and directing state agencies to provide resources to prevent further landings there and in other parts of Florida.

Hundreds of Cuban refugees have landed in the Florida Keys recently, starting on New Year’s Eve, according to a Jan. 2 news release from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

This includes more than 160 refugees in the Middle and Upper Keys over the holiday weekend, as well as many as 300 migrants on the Marquesas Keys and at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, the agency said.

“Refugee arrivals require a lot of resources from the sheriff’s office as we help our federal law enforcement partners ensure the migrants are in good health and safe,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said. “Residents may see an increased amount of law enforcement and emergency responders throughout the county as we continue to respond to these landings.”

More than 50 Cuban migrants were intercepted by U.S. Border Patrol agents and Florida Highway Patrol troopers last Sunday, CBS News reported.

The U.S. Coast Guard also told CNN that on Sunday it repatriated 273 Cuban migrants who were intercepted off Florida’s coast on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

Since August 2022, federal, state and local agencies have encountered more than 8,000 migrants in waters off Florida’s coast, DeSantis’ office said.

Anticipating additional refugee landings, FHP troopers and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers will patrol the Keys this week, according to reports.

The National Guard will also use airplanes and helicopters to patrol the waters surrounding the Keys, the governor’s office said.

The influx of migrants “is particularly burdensome” for the sheriff’s office, which is why additional help is needed “to dedicate the necessary resources to manage the movement of hundreds of migrants while also ensuring adequate public safety,” according to DeSantis’ news release.

The MCSO said it was told by the Border Patrol “that some migrant landings may have to wait for federal resources to arrive until the following day, aggravating the mass migration crisis in the Keys.”

The governor and his administration blame the increase in refugees on policies set by President Joe Biden.

“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. “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.”

Ramsay also pointed to a “federal failure” in handling the migration increase.

“This shows a lack of a working plan by the federal government to deal with a mass migration issue that was foreseeable,” he said.