DeSantis: Florida officers to respond to ‘border security crisis’ in Texas, Arizona

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced on Wednesday that law enforcement officers from his state will be deployed to Texas and Arizona to address challenges at the border.

DeSantis, seen by many as a potential GOP presidential candidate in 2024, said that he was responding to “the failure of the Biden administration to secure our southern border” and wanted to provide additional security to the two states after the governors of Texas and Arizona released a joint statement Thursday requesting that states provide law enforcement resources to the southern border.

“America’s border security crisis impacts every state and every American,” DeSantis said Wednesday in a statement. 

“Florida is going to support Texas and Arizona. We believe that securing the southern border is important for our country, but specifically we believe it’ll benefit the people of Florida to be able to get this under control, and so where the federal government has failed, the states are stepping up and doing our best to fill the void,” he added during a press conference in Pensacola, Fla. 

DeSantis noted during the press conference that Florida was the first state to announce it would be sending law enforcement to the two states. More than 10 law enforcement agencies and sheriff’s offices at the local and state levels will be deploying officers.

The announcement comes as the Biden administration has seen a steady increase in the number of migrants crossing the southwestern border. In March, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that the U.S. was “on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years.” 

It’s become a point of contention between the Biden administration and GOP leaders, who have asked President Biden and Vice President Harris to visit the border to address the rise in migration.

In response to the surge, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced plans on Thursday to build a wall at the southern border. Additionally, former President Trump announced he would visit the border with Abbott at his invitation. 

DeSantis is a Trump ally and may be unlikely to run for the White House if the former president chooses to seek reelection.