Florida’s governor has mobilized the state’s National Guard to assist local authorities in responding to a large influx of Cuban migrants who have landed in the Florida Keys.
Governor Ron DeSantis activated the Florida National Guard on Friday (6th) to respond to the influx of hundreds of mostly Cuban migrants arriving by boat in southern Florida, escalating long-standing tensions between the Republican governor and the Biden administration in terms of immigration.
The decision comes at a time complicated by a broader, border-related immigration row that DeSantis, a likely 2024 presidential candidate, has long used to attack the Biden administration. But the governor’s tough immigration policy in this case is complicated because the migrants who land in and near the Florida Keys are largely Cubans, who represent a politically powerful bloc of South Florida voters who have overwhelmingly supported him.
“While the negative impact of Biden’s lawless immigration policies continues unabated, the burden of the Biden administration’s failures falls on local law enforcement agencies, which lack the resources to deal with the crisis,” DeSantis said in a statement Friday afternoon. “If Biden continues to ignore his legal responsibilities, we will support our communities.”
Hundreds of Cuban migrants fleeing the island nation have landed in the Florida Keys in recent days, a continuing surge in those making the perilous 100-mile journey. Since Oct. 1, authorities have stopped 4,153 Cuban migrants at sea, according to the US Coast Guard — a huge increase from the 838 apprehended in fiscal 2021.
The Keys has been inundated with more than 500 Cuban immigrants over the past two days, which DeSantis said has placed a “particular strain” on local authorities.
Haitians fleeing economic instability and violence have also arrived in South Florida by boat in recent days.
The surge in migrants in Florida is similar to the surge in asylum seekers on the southern border in Texas, where thousands of Central and South Americans have tried to cross into America in recent weeks.
Biden resigned on Thursday a new policy which allows 30,000 immigrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the country.
DeSantis has long used immigration policies as a major criticism of the Biden administration, even though the state he leads is hundreds of miles from the southern border. In mid-September, the DeSantis government funded flights that brought mostly Venezuelan asylum seekers from the southern border to Martha’s Vineyard, a Massachusetts enclave typically populated by wealthy, liberal-leaning residents.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has also bused thousands of migrants to Democratic strongholds like New York, Chicago and Washington, DC, including to Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence at the Naval Observatory.
Records show that the DeSantis government went to great lengths to obfuscate this planning process. For example, Public Safety Officer Larry Keefe used an email address to plan the flight that made it appear as if the emails were coming from “Clarice Starling,” the protagonist of “The Silence of the Lambs.”
However, the policy changes when the immigrants are Cuban. DeSantis won the 2022 midterm election by 15 points from Hispanics, a large proportion of whom are Cuban, a historically more conservative segment of the electorate. Additionally, Florida International University’s annual Cuba poll found that Republicans, including DeSantis, enjoy near-record support from Cuban voters.
“It seems like the Republican Party train is still picking up passengers on Calle Ocho,” said Guillermo Grenier, professor of sociology and lead pollster at the annual survey. Calle Ocho refers to a historic Cuban neighborhood of Little Havana in Miami. “They remain loyal to the Republican Party and its Trumpian version”.
Members of the Florida Legislature representing South Florida say the state has been monitoring the situation.
“Die Florida Division of Emergency Management and law enforcement are monitoring the situation in the Keys,” Republican Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez said. “State law enforcement is sending additional resources to support local resources. Most additional resources will be on site by early next week.”
House Democrat Fentrice Driskell slammed DeSantis Friday for his criticism of Biden, saying much of the blame for the current immigration dilemma rests with hard-liners in Congress.
“While the influx of migrants into South Florida certainly needs to be addressed, DeSantis is bringing up the issue about President Biden in a blatant attempt to raise his own national profile,” Driskell said in a statement.