Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that he was ready to deploy more than 1,100 “assets” including soldiers and law enforcement officers to aid border security in Texas within 24 hours.
Officials in Texas, including Attorney General Ken Paxton, have pushed back against a Biden administration decision to end Title 42 immigration restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. A national emergency declaration for the pandemic expired this month.
“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,” said DeSantis, who is soon expected to announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. “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.”
Here is the complete list of the assets DeSantis pledged to Texas:
· 101 Florida Highway Patrol troopers
· 200 Florida Department of Law Enforcement Officers (in teams of 40)
· 20 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers
· 800 Florida National Guard soldiers
· 20 Emergency Management personnel (including radio technicians, logisticians, mechanics and planners)
· Five “available fixed wing aircraft with monitoring equipment and downlink capabilities with two aviation crew teams”
· Two Mobile Command Vehicles and two command teams
· 17 available unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and support teams
· 10 vessels (including airboats, shallow draft vessels, and mid-range vessels)
“I thank my fellow Governors for their support as Texas responds to Biden's border crisis,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in a Wednesday tweet. “Idaho & Florida have answered our call. Look forward to other Governors joining our effort to provide the security Biden has failed to deliver for Americans.”
According to DeSantis’ press release, through an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), states can provide resources, including personnel, to other states to assist in times of emergency. Both Florida and Texas are parties to the agreement, which also links participants with FEMA reimbursement, it explained. Previously, DeSantis answered a call for support and reinforcements following a letter from Abbott and Doug Ducey of Arizona regarding security at the southern border in 2021.
“We stand with Texas as they work to repel illegal aliens at the border,” said Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, per the press release. “We are prepared to assist however needed.”
While an increase of migrant crossings was expected with the end of Title 42, unauthorized entries along the southern border dropped to an average of 4,400 daily, “after soaring to 10,000 last week ahead of the expiration,” CBS News reported Wednesday. That’s a 60% decrease, said the outlet, citing Blas Nuñez Neto, the Department of Homeland Security’s top immigration policy official.
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