Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) announced Thursday that his state is prepared to send up to 1,000 Florida National Guard soldiers to help Texas secure the southern border.
During a press conference Thursday morning, DeSantis announced that the state is willing to send as many as 1,000 Florida National Guardsman to help Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) secure the southern border of Texas in the face of unprecedented levels of illegal immigration under the Biden administration’s open border policies.
According to Fox News, a spokesperson with the National Guard confirmed that the first wave of additional support for Texas will include the deployment of 100 Florida National Guardsmen to Texas.
“We are here to join as Floridians to say that we need to stop this invasion at our southern border once and for all,” DeSantis said on Thursday. “Biden has the authority to close this border today. If he wanted to, he lacks the will to get the job done. He lacks the capacity to see the problem for what it is and to get the job done.”
In addition to the deployment of Florida National Guard troops, DeSantis also announced that members of the Florida State Guard will be deployed to the southern border, marking the first time the Florida State Guard has been deployed outside of the state.
Showing support for Abbott’s recent feud with the federal government over the southern border, DeSantis said, “States have every right to defend their sovereignty and we are pleased to increase our support to Texas as the Lone Star State works to stop the invasion across the border. Our reinforcements will help Texas to add additional barriers, including razor wire along the border. We don’t have a country if we don’t have a border.”
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The Adjutant General of Florida, Major General John D. Haas, explained that the mission to increase the security of the southern border is “not a new mission.” Haas noted that Florida has previously supported border security missions and that Florida was one of the first states to deploy soldiers to support Operation Lone Star in Texas.
“The Florida State Guard is prepared to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with state agency partners in direct support of our brothers and sisters in Texas grappling with an unprecedented surge of illegal immigration along their border,” Florida State Guard Director Mark Thieme said. “The Florida State Guard is postured to deliver rapid emergency response, public safety operations and humanitarian assistance — wherever the need arises.”
