(The Center Square) – With Haiti in political turmoil and in light of current federal border policies, Florida, which has historically borne the brunt of illegal entry by sea from Cuba and Haiti, is bracing for impact.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday deployed additional state law enforcement and emergency resources to Florida’s southern coast. On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, received assurances from the Department of Defense that it would provide assistance in the Straits of Florida.
Haiti’s prime minister stepped down Tuesday after the country’s notorious “G9 and Family” gang leader, Jimmy Cherizier, known as “Barbecue,” threatened to commit more violence if he didn’t. In a short announcement posted on Facebook, Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation and said his government would dissolve after a transitional council was established. His resignation came after a week of “systematic looting and destruction of public buildings and private buildings,” he said after he defied a Feb. 7 ultimatum by Barbecue.
Barbecue’s gang orchestrated a jailbreak releasing violent criminals into the capital, causing widespread violence. His gang reportedly controls 80% of Haiti’s capital. Henry was the acting prime minister since the previous prime minister, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in July 2021 by alleged Columbian mercenaries.
Chaos in Haiti erupted as a federal judge in Texas ruled that a parole program created by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas could continue. Mayorka’s policy includes releasing an additional 30,000 Haitians into the U.S. a month who would otherwise not be allowed admittance. DHS currently has no capability to determine if those entering the country are criminals, current and retired Border Patrol agents have told The Center Square.
In light of the fact that U.S. Border Patrol agents, the U.S. Coast Guard, and local and state law enforcement agencies continue to respond to migrants landing in southern Florida, primarily from Cuba and Haiti, Gaetz asked Defense Department officials what their plan was to deal with a mass influx of Haitians.
At a Tuesday House Armed Services Committee hearing, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, Rebecca Zimmerman acknowledged that federal officials were anticipating a mass migration of Haitians potentially into Florida. General Laura Richardson, the commander of United States Southern Command, also confirmed she will consider providing naval resources to the Straits of Florida to help with interdiction efforts.
At the hearing, Gaetz said, “So what’s the difference between Haiti and a failed state? It’s telling, right, we can’t really identify because the gangs are in charge, the government has been thrown out. And as a Florida man, I’m deeply concerned about this wave of people that we’re about to have that we are having coming from Haiti, and it will accelerate.”
Gaetz asked Zimmerman and Richardson, “What are we doing to prepare for that wave, and to ensure that these people are not paroled into the United States, as the administration has done with people on the southern border, but instead, are repatriated back at the dock at Port au Prince?”
Zimmerman replied they were “doing a number of things to ensure that we’re keeping track of the situation and we’re prepared. At the moment, we have not yet seen large numbers, what we would characterize as maritime mass migration. … We are alert to that possibility … that the driving conditions in Haiti could very well press more people” to come to the U.S.
Gaetz said he had spoken with Coast Guard officials who welcomed the support of naval vessels. He also implored DOD officials to use an authorization established by former President George W. Bush in 2002. It states that if a president declares a state of emergency due to a mass migration of Haitians, the DOD has the ability to offer naval assistance to the U.S. Coast Guard to interdict and repatriate migrants at sea. This includes authorizing gray haul naval vessels to operate in the Straits of Florida.
Gaetz asked Richardson if it was her “best military advice based on what we just heard from Zimmerman, that we activate the authorities anticipating a mass migration.”
Richardson said she had “put in a request for increased capability to do exactly that.” She also said the DOD was “ready … if we need to deal with a mass migration. We did a full walkthrough of our contingency plan on Gitmo last summer, with all of the interagency and all of my components.”
Gaetz replied that Haitians don’t need to be sent to Gitmo “where they become a burden on the U.S. taxpayer. We can interdict … and then repatriate directly at Port au Prince.”
The disgraceful Biden Admin seems to have no problem with violent criminals entering this country illegally. I hope DeSantis is able to shut this down.
AND ALL Coastal states, should LIKEWISE do the same.
These Haitians just reflect the corrupt Voo Voo Boden Administration that floods legions of radical crime minded Haitians into the good old USA for a well-planned Barbeque of American tranquility,,,, who has been sticking pins into Trump dolls to inflict as much pain as possible. Rumor has it Joe has been biting the heads off his department heads like Haitians bite off the heads of chickens who get gutted like our current democracy, as the socially deformed entrails are read to predict future election results. Any wonder our democrat run inner cities are beginning to look more and more like a Haitian hell-hole, where hate is the whole reason for their American treason.
if america gives the democommies another 4yrs america is done stick a fork in us we done.
This is EXACTLY the intensions of this treasonous, traitorous, corrupt, destructive Democrat Party. This deliberate destruction of the U.S. was started under the Muslim Barack Obama and is continuing under his sock-puppet the treasonous, corrupt, puppet Joe Beijing OBiden. If WE the PEOPLE do not destroy this treasonous, traitorous, corrupt, destructive Democrat Party, WE the PEOPLE will servants of the Socialist Democrat Party Dictatorship in just a few more years. Forget freedoms and rights, we will be able to do, say and buy what the Socialist Democrat Party Dictates.
Jamaican singer Bob Marley pretty much expresses the same kind of Haitian mindsets that Joe is allowing in, No wonder he and the democrats are so fond of them,,,,the Carribean Pirate heritage still runs deep.
“Truth is everybody is going to hurt you: you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.
Until the color of a man’s skin, is of no more significance than the color of his eyes, me say war.
Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction.
As a man sow, shall he reap. and I know that talk is cheap. But the heat of the battle is as sweet as the victory.
I don’t know how to live good. I only know how to suffer.
Every time I plant a seed, He say kill it before it grow, he say kill it before they (Conservatives?) grow.
The devil ain’t got no power over me. The devil come, and me shake hands with the devil. Devil have his part to play. Devil’s a good friend, too… because when you don’t know him, that’s the time he can mosh you down.
I no have education. I have inspiration. If I was educated, I would be a damn fool.
Babylon is everywhere. You have wrong and you have right. Wrong is what we call Babylon, wrong things. That is what Babylon is to me. I could have born in England, I could have born in America, it make no difference where me born, because there is Babylon everywhere.”
WHICH is why i warn EVERYONE to be on the look out for all the liberal voter fraud this cycle.
Another Biden failure. This Haitian catastrophe has been fomenting for over a year and the administration did absolutely nothing to prevent it. Now we are faced with mass immigration from a country that is known to have some pretty despicable characters.
OF course not. NO WAY TO politicise it to blame white supremacy, trump or the MAGA voters.