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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, well aware that Haiti is collapsing and preparing for an onslaught of migrants illegally making their way to his state, has vowed they won’t stay there for long.
The former 2024 GOP presidential contender told TheFirst TV’s Dana Loesch in an interview Wednesday that he’s ordered 250 Florida National Guard troops and state troopers to deploy along Florida’s coast in preparation for an influx of migrants from Haiti as that country disintegrates following the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
DeSantis said since he can’t send the Haitians back to their own country, he’s contemplating sending them to Martha’s Vineyard, a deep-blue Massachusetts enclave that is home to some of the country’s elite, including former President Barack Obama who has a home there.
“The problem when you get to a situation like Florida is if they have people in our state and we wanted to fly them, say, back to Haiti, you have to get clearance to be able to do that. If you wanted to fly somebody to a South American country, wherever they’re from, it becomes a little bit more difficult because the federal government’s gonna tell the host countries not to accept our planes,” DeSantis said. “So we’ve gone through these iterations of what can we do as states.”
“I definitely think we can help put them back over the border if they come across in Texas and Arizona,” he continued. “So I’d be willing to help do that. I think that the states really have no other choice to do that at that point. It’s a little bit different for a maritime state like us. That’s why we’ve really got to get them before they reach the shores, and that’s why we’re working so hard to do that.”
“Although I will say this,” DeSantis added. “We do have our transport program, also, that’s going to be operational. So, uh, Haitians land in the Florida Keys, their next stop very well may be Martha’s Vineyard,” he added.
WATCH:
DeSantis on what he may do with incoming Haitian illegal immigrants: “We do have our transport program, also, that’s going to be operational. So, uh, Haitians land in the Florida Keys, their next stop very well may be Martha’s Vineyard." pic.twitter.com/3Q9AZEhFDq
— USA Features Media (@UsaFeatures) March 21, 2024
In September 2022, DeSantis flew illegal migrants from his state to Martha’s Vineyard. Following their arrival, some of these migrants continued to reside on the Massachusetts island for several months, with a few expressing their satisfaction with the location as of June 2023, the Daily Caller reported.
On Friday, DeSantis announced that Florida law enforcement intercepted a boat carrying individuals believed to be potential Haitian migrants, along with weapons and narcotics. Officers from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) halted the vessel, which was observed behaving in a manner suggestive of potential danger, according to the governor.
“Our Florida Fish and Wildlife offices interdicted a vessel that had 25 illegal immigrants, potential illegal immigrants from Haiti in their boat. In their vessel, they had firearms, they had drugs, they had night vision gear, and were boating very recklessly, which would potentially endanger other folks,” DeSantis said, adding that the interdiction had occurred “recently” in the last few weeks and was “tragic.”
“That vessel was interdicted near the Sebastian Inlet and those illegal aliens were turned over to the Coast Guard for deportation,” he said, as noted by Fox News.
DeSantis announced this at a press conference in which he signed three pieces of legislation to deter illegal immigration into the Sunshine State.
In response to the unrest in Haiti and the possibility of an increase in migration from the conflict-ridden nation via the sea, the Republican governor earlier this week announced an increase in manpower and aircraft to the Florida coast.
Gangs have taken over the capital, burning police stations and attacking the main airport, resulting in a marked increase in violence in the Caribbean nation. Additionally, gangs have broken into some of the biggest prisons, freeing thousands of prisoners.
