(Daily Caller) Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is sending Florida State Guard members to the southern border to help Texas for the first time ever, he announced on Thursday.
The governor will also send around 1,000 Florida National Guard members, according to his announcement. Texas is currently dealing with a massive surge of migrants and it will not terminate its southern border operation despite pushback from President Joe Biden’s administration.
“We’re providing up to one battalion of Florida National Guard as well as our first ever deployment of the Florida State Guard. And the goal is to help Texas fortify this border,” DeSantis stated. “Help them strengthen the barricade. Help them add barriers. Help them add the wire that they need to so that we can stop this invasion once and for all. The states have to band together to be able to defend the rule of law.”
Texas has continued to install more wire in Eagle Pass, Texas, at Shelby Park, which it assumed control of in January. The Biden administration has requested that the U.S. Supreme Court intervene and force Texas to relinquish the park, but the state has refused.
The Supreme Court ruled against Texas, granting the Biden administration’s request to enable the border patrol to take down Texas’ border wire. While the ruling was pending at the Supreme Court, the Texas Department of Public Safety took over the park, prompting the administration to respond in a court filing claiming the border patrol no longer has access to the border near the park.
DeSantis cited issues of drugs and crime caused by the border crisis during the announcement. About 260 million deadly fentanyl doses got intercepted at the border in December.
“If we don’t have a border then we are not a sovereign country. You either have a border or you don’t. You’re either a sovereign country or you’re not,” DeSantis added.
Governor Ron DeSantis Sends Additional Support to Help Texas Fortify the Border https://t.co/1Kgn5akRl7
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 1, 2024
