Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced the deployment of “over 250 additional officers and soldiers” from the Florida State Guard, Division of Emergency Management, and law enforcement agencies to the state’s southern coast, citing concerns that the political situation in Haiti will spark a new wave of illegal immigration.
Haiti has been devastated by a surge of political instability and gang violence, prompting President Ariel Henry to announce his resignation on Monday. He is currently in Puerto Rico and has not been allowed to return to Haiti since his trip to Kenya on February 29 owing to armed gangs blocking the capital’s main airport.
Gangs are reported to dominate 80% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The United States has evacuated non-essential diplomatic personnel and advised American citizens to leave the country.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, DeSantis stated: “For quite some time, the State of Florida has been allocating enormous resources to battle unlawful vessels arriving in Florida from nations such as Haiti.
“No state has done more to supplement the (under-resourced) U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida.”
A White House National Security Council spokeswoman told Newsweek that the number of illegal migrants entering the United States through the Caribbean is currently low.
In reference to the situation in Haiti, they stated: “We are certain that economic, political, and security instability are important causes for migration around the world. We are closely monitoring the situation and the routes used by migrants to reach our borders, and irregular migratory flows through the Caribbean are now low.”
Senior administration officials cautioned Tuesday at a House Armed Services Committee meeting that the situation in Haiti might spark another migrant surge into the United States.
When asked by Florida Republican Matt Gaetz if the scenario may lead to “a mass migration,” Department of Defense spokeswoman Rebecca Zimmerman responded, “We are aware of that possibility,” adding, “The driving conditions in Haiti may very well press more people [to migrate].”
