Florida – ‘Take Our Border Back’ vehicle convoy headed to the Texas border is just the culmination of the problem with growing number of immigrants in the recent months. Florida, along with several other Republican-led states, decided to send their own troops in Texas to help local authorities handle the situation.
Florida helps Texas, “ready to help California” if needed
But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is also ready to help California secure the border, of course if state’s leaders want help. Ironically speaking, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he would be “happy” to send some of his state’s National Guard troops to California to help curb illegal immigration.
“If California actually wants to stop people coming across the border, I’m happy to send [troops] to California…because ultimately, I want the whole border secure,” DeSantis told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday evening.
Governor DeSantis is joining forces with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, another Republican, in a disagreement with the federal government about how to manage the border. Before going on a TV interview, DeSantis said he would send 1,000 National Guard troops from Florida to Texas to help control what he called an “invasion” at the border.
“Texas is the first step, but we need all states to have secure borders,” DeSantis told Hannity.
Texas Governor Abbott has been openly opposing President Joe Biden because more migrants have been arriving at the southern border of the U.S. Their conflict escalated recently when the Supreme Court decided that Border Patrol could take down razor wire that Abbott had put up to stop migrants from crossing. The federal government argued this wire was making it hard for agents to reach migrants crossing the Rio Grande river.
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At the same time, DeSantis has been arguing with California’s Governor Gavin Newsom, who is a Democrat. They’ve been publicly disagreeing on various issues like immigration, crime, and abortion for several months.
At least 25 Republican governors backed Abbott to secure the U.S. border in Texas
After a court decision last week, a group of 25 Republican governors showed their support for Governor Abbott of Texas. They agreed with Abbott’s use of every possible method, including fences made of razor wire, to keep the border secure. Some of these states have even said they’ll send help, like National Guard troops, to Texas to strengthen its border efforts.
Governor DeSantis announced on Thursday that Florida is sending members of its National Guard and State Guard to Texas to help out. This move adds to the 90 officials from Florida’s Highway Patrol, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Department of Law Enforcement who were already helping in Texas.
DeSantis blasts California Gov. Newsom on state’s crime and immigration policies
Governor Newsom’s approach to dealing with crime and immigration often gets criticized by conservative figures. In a conversation with DeSantis on his show, Hannity made a light-hearted comment that migrants looking to enter the U.S. through the south might prefer California, suggesting it’s more welcoming to them.
“They’ll treat you better as an illegal alien if you show up in California than they will if you or I showed up, Sean, as just American citizens,” DeSantis told the Fox News host.
Newsom has criticized DeSantis before for moving migrants from Texas to various cities in the U.S., calling it a political move. Governor Abbott of Texas has done something similar by transporting migrants to different parts of the country.
Additionally, DeSantis faced the possibility of legal trouble after he arranged for groups of migrants to be flown to Massachusetts in September 2022 and to California in June 2023.
