PENSACOLA, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that state and local law enforcement officers have committed to deploying to Texas and Arizona to provide additional resources in response to the border crisis. The Lee County Sheriff's Office has committed to these efforts.
“America’s border security crisis impacts every state and every American,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “The Biden Administration ended policies implemented by President Trump that were curbing illegal immigration, securing our border, and keeping Americans safe. Governors Abbott and Ducey recently sent out a call for help to every state in the nation, needing additional law enforcement manpower and other resources to aid with border security. I’m proud to announce today that the state of Florida is answering the call. Florida has your back.”
The move comes following a letter late last week from Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona requesting immediate assistance to quell the surge of illegal migrants, apprehend illegal criminal aliens, and secure our border.
Attempts at drug trafficking and human trafficking have increased.
In just January to April of this year, the Texas Department of Public Safety seized nearly 95 pounds of fentanyl in Texas. That equates to 21.5 million lethal doses of this drug. That is a spike compared to 2020, when the same agency seized only 11 pounds over the first four months.
According to multiple former border patrol agents, children are being used by human traffickers who pose as a family to make their way across the border. According to a recent UNICEF report, there are nine times more migrant children in Mexico than there were at the start of 2021.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, last month there were more than 180,000 illegal immigrants caught attempting entry along the Southwest Border. For the five fiscal years ending in 2019, on average of just 15% of individuals encountered by law enforcement had previously attempted to cross the border within that year. Alarmingly, this figure has skyrocketed to 38% in May 2021.
The following sheriff’s offices and state law enforcement agencies have already committed to sending aid:
The Florida Highway Patrol
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Brevard County Sheriff’s Office
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
Holmes County Sheriff’s Office
Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office
Pasco County Sheriff’s Office
Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office
Walton County Sheriff’s Office
The Florida Division of Emergency Management is coordinating this deployment of the law enforcement officers under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). The Emergency Management Assistance Compact is a national mutual aid system that allows states to share resources from all disciplines, protect personnel who deploy, and be reimbursed for mission related costs.
