Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announced on Tuesday he is sending troops to help Texas "defend the southern border" following the end of Title 42 last week.
DeSantis, who is reportedly preparing to launch a run for the White House in the coming weeks, said he would deploy 101 Florida Highway Patrol troopers, 200 Florida law enforcement officers, and 800 Florida National Guard soldiers, among other resources, to help Texas secure its border as early as Wednesday.
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“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,” DeSantis 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.”
The aid to Texas is possible through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a partnership that allows states to provide resources to other states in emergencies. Both Texas and Florida are part of the EMAC.
President Joe Biden faced bipartisan criticism as Title 42, the pandemic-era policy that allowed immigrants to be expelled from the southern border, expired last week. But administration officials announced on Monday that illegal border crossings were not as high as predicted. Fewer than 5,000 immigrants have been apprehended illegally crossing the border each day, Blas Nunez-Neto, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at the Department of Homeland Security, told reporters.
Nonetheless, securing the border is a popular mandate among GOP primary voters, whom DeSantis will be counting on to support him while taking on former President Donald Trump for the GOP's 2024 presidential nomination. At a fundraiser event over the weekend in Sioux Center, Iowa, a crucial early voting state, DeSantis received a standing ovation when he called to shut down the border.
"We have every right to have that border secured and not have this disaster unfolding," said DeSantis at the Feenstra Family Picnic event. "I tell you this ... well, what would you do? It's like, I would shut down the border immediately."
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DeSantis, although he has not entered the 2024 race, is widely expected to launch a campaign in June. He remains Trump's closest competitor in the primary race despite declining poll numbers.
The Florida governor previously sent law enforcement aid to Texas in 2021, when Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) requested resources to secure the border.