Texas is getting help from Florida to improve security along the border with Mexico. Florida Governor Ron DeStantis sent dozens of state law enforcement officers to Texas at the request of Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Those officers are being deployed in the border region starting today.
Gov. DeSantis said activities along the Texas-Mexico border are having an impact in his state, so the deployment of Florida resources is justified.
"The cartels are doing a lot to bring in drugs, to do human trafficking, to do a lot of things that are not good...not just for the border states like Texas, but this has an impact all over the United States," he said. He said much of the crystal methamphetamine sold in his state originated in Mexico and traveled through Texas to reach Florida. "This has real effects on Florida communities," he said, "so when the Governors of Texas and Arizona sent requests to other states, Florida answered that call - partially because a lot of these states have stepped up to help us when we have had emergency situations in the past.
About 50 Florida law enforcement officers are currently in Texas. They are from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They departed Florida on Friday.
"They will get there and they will be ready to go on Monday, we look forward to be able to seeing them in action," Gov. DeSantis said.
During a news conference in Florida, Gov. DeSantis did not have details about how the trip would be funded.
"That's still a point of discussion. Typically if someone would help us, we would pick up some of their funding," he said. "That's how we would hope that it goes. We don't anticipate getting any federal funds."
Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds have also announced plans to send law enforcement officers from their states to the U.S.-Mexico border.
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