DeSantis says he might send any Haitian immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said he may send Haitian migrants who land in his state to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.

“We do have our transport program also that’s going to be operational. So, Haitians land in the Florida Keys, their next stop very well may be Martha’s Vineyard,” he said in an interview Tuesday with podcast host Dana Loesch.

Chaos has been unfolding in Haiti as the country struggles with rampant gang violence and political instability. The escalating situation prompted the U.S. to urge all Americans out of the country and to start evacuating the U.S. Embassy, where it also deployed a group of Marines.

Earlier this month, DeSantis deployed additional resources to the state’s southern regions to address potential migration from Haiti. He announced last week that he would deploy more than 200 additional state law enforcement officers and about 50 National Guard members to South Florida and the Keys, alongside more than a dozen aircraft and ships.

DeSantis said the state has “devoted an enormous amount of resources” to the effort, which he argued is not its task since the federal government is in charge of intercepting ships.

“But I’m not just going to sit there and complain,” DeSantis continued. “If there’s a gap to be filled, we’re doing it.”

DeSantis said it’s “very important” that Florida authorities interdict vessels carrying Haitian migrants before they land in the state, adding that “sending them back is easy” if they are caught at sea. He said if they land in Florida, he cannot send the migrants back to Haiti without getting clearance.

“If you wanted to fly somebody to a South American country, wherever they’re from, it becomes a little bit more difficult because there, the federal government’s going to tell the host countries not to accept our plane,” he said.

“So we’ve gone through these iterations of what can we do as states. I definitely think we can help put them back over the border if they come across in Texas or Arizona, and so I’d be willing to help do that. I think that the states really have no other choice to do that at that point,” he added.

Florida state officials announced last week that a boat carrying 25 Haitian migrants was recently interdicted by Florida Fish and Wildlife officers.