(The Center Square) – In response to a Tuesday SOS from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to fellow governors seeking help at the southern border, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was among the first to answer the call. Florida is sending more than 1,000 personnel, including 800 National Guard troops, to help secure the Texas-Mexico border.
“Florida stands ready to help defend the southern border and is deploying assets to aid Texas’ border security crisis,” DeSantis announced within an hour of Abbott’s call on Tuesday.
“The impacts of Biden’s Border Crisis are felt by communities across the nation, and the federal government’s abdication of duty undermines the sovereignty of our country and the rule of law,” he said. “At my direction, state agencies including law enforcement and the Florida National Guard are being deployed to Texas, with assets including personnel, boats and planes. While Biden ignores the crisis he created, Florida stands ready to help Texas respond to this crisis.”
Florida is sending more than 1,100 assets and resources, including 101 Florida Highway Patrol troopers, 200 Florida Department of Law Enforcement officers in teams of 40, 20 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, 800 Florida National Guard soldiers, and 20 Emergency Management personnel, including radio technicians, logisticians, mechanics and planners.
The state also is sending five available fixed wing aircraft with monitoring equipment and downlink capabilities with two aviation crew teams, two Mobile Command Vehicles and two command teams, 17 available unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and support teams, and 10 vessels – including airboats, shallow draft vessels, and mid-range vessels.
“We stand with Texas as they work to repel illegal aliens at the border,” Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said. “We are prepared to assist however needed.”
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida National Guard, Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are ready to deploy within the next 24 hours, he said.
Through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, Abbott notes in his letter to the 49 governors, states can provide resources, including personnel, to other states to assist in times of emergency, which the GOP governors who responded agree the border crisis warrants.
Texas and Florida are both parties to the EMAC and accept support from each state at any time through an EMAC request. The EMAC process also ensures resources and personnel deployed for emergency situations are eligible for FEMA reimbursement.
In July 2021, DeSantis also sent troops and reinforcements, meeting with Abbott in Del Rio, Texas, to discuss joint border security operations.
DeSantis is again sending assistance now after the Florida legislature passed extensive border security measures. Florida is continuing to be negatively impacted by Biden administration policies, state lawmakers and law enforcement chiefs have argued. Biden administration policies have directly resulted in increased crime, human and drug trafficking and smuggling and are burdening taxpayers in other ways, they have argued.
Groups of tens of thousands of foreign nationals have already arrived in the Rio Grande Valley and other areas of Texas, overwhelming Border Patrol agents to a breaking point, officials said. Abbott has sent over 10,000 Texas National Guard troops to the border as Texas border communities continue to declare emergencies.
The Texas governor also asked for help after at least 125 known, suspected terrorists have been caught illegally entering the southern border this fiscal year to date and as the former ICE chief argues Biden administration policies are the greatest national security threat since 9/11.
The Biden administration continues to claim the border is closed, something Abbott and DeSantis argue is verifiably false.
Great! The United States of Texas and Florida,,,let the American defiance revolution REUNION begin. Those states who still believe in the concept of human free speech, thought, SELF-government, law and order, personal accountability.peace, unity and social tranquility can join us. All others just continue to waste away in the equal distribution of Democrat party state run dissolution, desolation, desecration and national diminishment. Only those willing to self-govern their lives in cooperation and accountability will be allowed to cross our borders. Those who come to eat free, not breath free will be culled out and sent back to the Democrat run establishment Third World states of America. Like the founders found out,,,,UNITED WE STAND, divided we fall. As Franklin noted; “ We must all hang together or assuredly will we shall all hang separately.” ,,,,Hoisted like break-away Democrats upon our own political petards. (Note; the word petard is a French word that has evolved from the latin pedere, which means to break wind, or these days give incoherent Democrat speeches)
Hurrah for our modern day minute men, perhaps a bit late but not a dollar or dimentia short.
UNLESS those troopers are given the AUTHORITY TO USE FORCE, to secure our border. Exactly what good are they going to do?
This illegal immigrant invasion is totally the treasonous Democrat Party’s intension.
This treasonous, woke, socialist Democrat Party and their corrupt puppet president Joe Biden’s administration has encouraged, supported, protected and transported these illegal immigrants into the U.S.A..
Next question is why???
#1. The more people (including illegal immigrants) in a state, the more representatives the State has in Congress.
#2. Why is the U.S. taxpayers being forced to totally support these multi-millions of illegal immigrants by the Biden Administration.
#3. In Democrat ruled cities, these illegal immigrants are allowed to vote. So they vote for Democrats who are giving them free support.
#4. Why are these illegal immigrant criminals put in $500.00 a day hotel rooms instead of put in concentration camps until they become legal?
#5 Why are these illegal immigrant criminals treated better than our U.S. disabled veterans??
Why has this treasonous Democrat Party’s puppet president Joe Biden not been impeached on multiple traitorous crimes???
Bigger question is WHEN THE HELL will he be charged FOR HIS ABJECT treason!?
Ron DeSantis is the real deal…. he stands far and above the majority of Republicans.
Seriously, our southern border is closed? Is this a sick joke or just a bad dream? Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis are true American heroes that should be celebrated.
IF/when destantis gets his name in the hat, HE HAS MY VOTE in 2024!
Now the other State Governors need to send support to Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Turn ALL the illegal INVADERS around back into Mexico. Time to send the President of Mexico all the Bills for monies spent on these INVADERS.
What the hell is wrong with Congress, stop the money drain. While your at it stop the Money going to the Ukraine, they are not a democracy.
There are too many Commies in this country that will prevent this country from stopping the northern flow of illegal immigrants. We are being grossly overwhelmed and there is no one to stop it. Everyone, be prepared for a One World Government.
AND that’s just at our SOUTHERN border. WHAT of all those coming across our northern one?
I am tryting to do my part by not purchasing from “wpke” places, places that have hired illigal invaders, etc. One of the biggest blow we can give the illegal invaders DO NOT HIRE any one that hang around places like Home Depoy, Lowes, stores owned/operated by those that hire illegal invaders. Stop hiring those that provide yard maintenance, tree trimming, etc. If “We, the people” stick together and deny them work, they will find it hard to live here. Of course, this administration will provide them many, many free benefits at our expense but we need to protest this too.