PENSACOLA, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday morning announced that he is sending more people from Florida to help deal with issues at the US-Mexico border.
DeSantis said 76 FHP troopers along with 50 members of the Florida National Guard will join other members of the state who have already been sent to “defend the border.”
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DeSantis said they would “help do what the federal government refused to do.”
“The morale is great, people believe in the mission,” DeSantis said. “We are going to continue to be in this fight until the problem is solved.”
Since 2021, Florida has sent more than 2,400 law enforcement officers to assist Texas at the southern border. With those officers, the state has also sent more than 600 assets including boats, command buses and ATVs.
Arrests for illegal crossings on the U.S. border with Mexico fell by half in January from record highs in December to the third-lowest month of Joe Biden’s presidency, authorities said earlier this month.
The sharp drop is welcome news for the White House, even if it proves temporary, as immigration becomes one of the biggest issues in this year’s presidential election, with exit polls showing it is the top concern among many Republican voters in early primaries. House Republicans voted to impeach U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his oversight of the border.
Seasonal declines and heightened enforcement by the U.S. and its allies led to the sharp decline, said Troy Miller, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. U.S. authorities have repeatedly praised Mexico for a crackdown launched in late December.
Border Patrol arrests totaled 124,220 in January, down 50% from 249,735 in December, the highest monthly tally on record. Arrests of Venezuelans plunged 91% to 4,422 from 46,920 in December.