The tumultuous situation in Haiti is expected to send a flood of immigrants to Florida, the closest state to the Caribbean island, but they might not be welcomed upon arrival.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) ordered state resources on Wednesday to block the possible newcomers.
“For quite some time, the State of Florida has been dedicating significant resources to combat illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries such as Haiti,” DeSantis said in a statement. “Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers … to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state. No state has done more to supplement the (under-resourced) U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida.”
The governor has sued the Biden administration over its relaxed border policies, helped send illegal immigrants from the border to sanctuary states, and passed a law that makes it harder for illegal immigrants to work in Florida.
Democratic state lawmakers have implored the governor to accept the immigrants, who are fleeing an increasingly dangerous country that has recently been overtaken by violent gangs. The chaos has resulted in a dwindling food supply and even led to the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
“Nobody wants to leave where they are to come to some place that may not be welcoming to them,” Haitian-born state Rep. Dotie Joseph told Politico. “They leave because something very wrong is going on at home. And if we’re honest, a lot of the instability that’s going on in Haiti is a direct result of intervention and failed policies by various countries, including the United States.”
Turmoil in Haiti has been a problem for years and has led to an influx of Haitians to Florida. More than 276,000 people who live in Florida today were born in Haiti, according to U.S. census data. The southern state is the closest part of the United States to the island but is still approximately 700 miles away by sea.
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Border Patrol agents were placed on high alert in Miami on Tuesday, and officials admitted incoming immigrants might not be immediately repatriated to Haiti because of the turmoil. The agents hope to contain the influx to certain areas for processing and intake.
The Biden administration has also announced it will contribute $100 million to a planned multinational effort to counter the violence in Haiti.
