Florida recently announced it would be providing assistance to Texas amid a crisis at the state’s southern border.
According to an official statement from the office of Ron DeSantis:
Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida stands ready to help defend the southern border and is deploying assets to aid Texas’ border security crisis. Florida has over 1,100 assets and resources available including:
- 101 Florida Highway Patrol Troopers
- 200 Florida Department of Law Enforcement Officers, in teams of 40
- 20 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officers
- 800 Florida National Guard Soldiers
- 20 Emergency Management Personnel – including radio technicians, logisticians, mechanics and planners
- Five available fixed wing aircraft with monitoring equipment and downlink capabilities with two aviation crew teams
- Two Mobile Command Vehicles and two command teams
- 17 available unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and support teams
- 10 vessels – including airboats, shallow draft vessels, and mid-range vessels
“The impacts of Biden’s Border Crisis are felt by communities across the nation, and the federal government’s abdication of duty undermines the sovereignty of our country and the rule of law,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “At my direction, state agencies including law enforcement and the Florida National Guard are being deployed to Texas, with assets including personnel, boats and planes. While Biden ignores the crisis he created, Florida stands ready to help Texas respond to this crisis.”
“We stand with Texas as they work to repel illegal aliens at the border,” said Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie.“We are prepared to assist however needed.
The statement continued:
Through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), states can provide resources, including personnel, to other states to assist in times of emergency. Texas and Florida are both parties to this agreement and can accept support from each other at any time through an EMAC request. The EMAC process also ensures resources and personnel deployed for emergency situations are eligible for FEMA reimbursement. In 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis answered the call for support and reinforcements following a letter from Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizonarequesting immediate assistance with the security crisis overwhelming law enforcement at the southern border.
Resources are available through the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida National Guard, Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and stand ready to deploy within the next 24 hours.
In the absences of the Biden administration being able to contain the border crisis Texas is having to take matters into their own hands where Governor Abbot recently appointed a border Czar. Abbott said, “For nearly two years, the State of Texas has taken unprecedented, historic action under Operation Lone Star in response to the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border. To continue doing what no other state in the history of our country has done to secure the border, I hired Mike Banks as the State of Texas’ first-ever Border Czar. As an award-winning Border Patrol Agent, with decades of federal law enforcement and border security experience, Mike is the perfect choice to oversee Texas’ fight against the surge of illegal immigration, lethal drugs, and deadly weapons flowing into our state and nation. I have no doubt that Mike’s strong record of leadership and wealth of experience will provide Texans—and Americans—the level of border security expertise they deserve from a proper Border Czar.”
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