Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced that state law enforcement had seized a boat carrying dozens of Haitian migrants. Reports indicate that the vessel also contained firearms, drugs, and night vision equipment.
The governor explained that the interception of the maritime vessel occurred “recently” within the past few weeks, detailing that the boat was being operated in a reckless manner. “Our Florida Fish and Wildlife offices interdicted a vessel that had 25 illegal immigrants, potential illegal immigrants from Haiti in their boat. In their vessel they had firearms, they had drugs, they had night vision gear and were boating very recklessly, which would potentially endanger other folks,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis noted that the illegal immigrants had been directed to the necessary authorities where they would be deported from the United States. “That vessel was interdicted near the Sebastian Inlet, and those illegal aliens were turned over to the Coast Guard for deportation,” he said.
The Republican governor stated that Florida is sending a message to other potential illegal aliens seeking to enter the United States that they will be denied entry into the state and promptly deported if they attempt what this group of migrants did.
This past week, Rebecca Zimmerman, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, told lawmakers that the Pentagon is “alert” to a possible mass migration event. “I think you’re right that the driving conditions in Haiti could very well press more people,” Zimmerman told Rep. Matt Gaetz. “We recently approved some additional assistance we could provide to the Coast Guard.”
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Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security has also indicated that it is closely watching the situation, maintaining that migration from the Caribbean islands remains at “low” levels as of now. It also stated that those intercepted at sea would be directed back to their country of origin.