Florida - Thursday February 1, 2024: Governor DeSantis announced this morning that he is sending more Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard members to Texas to help that state control what DeSantis called "the invasion" at the southern border.
Speaking at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, DeSantis said Florida will send a battalion of approximately 1,000 National Guard members, who will be deployed "based on Texas' needs."
“If Texas is helping to erect barriers, putting up razor wire, doing other things to keep illegal aliens out, I want to be helpful with them doing it," said the Governor. "I don’t want to be part of the federal government trying to tear down these barriers and let more people in illegally.”
He called the situation at the Mexican board as bad as ever citing Customs and Border Protection data in December that the governor said showed a record 302,000 illegal immigrants were encountered while attempting to cross the southern border, not to mention the ones who crossed without being seen.
House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell quickly called the move a “stunt” and questioned DeSantis’ focus, coming off his presidential run.
:09 Q...here at home
“We should not be sending them to the border, because this is not their job. This is not for Florida to get involved in, and we certainly have plenty of crises to deal with here at home.”
Florida has been sending members of the National Guard and state law-enforcement officers to Texas since May.