Jacob OglesPresident Donald Trump told Gov. Ron DeSantis he never wanted hundreds of migrants shipped into South Florida.
“President @realDonaldTrump and I spoke yesterday and confirmed that he did not approve, nor would approve, sending immigrants who illegally cross the border, to Florida,” DeSantis tweeted on Sunday.
“It is not going to happen.”
That account caps off days of anxiety about a purported plan by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to do just that.
Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio earlier this week the agency planned to release as many as 500 migrants each month in both Palm Beach and Broward counties. He reiterated as much at a news conference on Thursday.
That triggered bipartisan pushback in Florida, with DeSantis saying he didn’t want to see such an influx.
Florida Democrats called the move politically vindictive.
“The president’s political gamesmanship with innocent people’s lives is deplorable!” tweeted state Sen. Gary Farmer, a South Florida Democrat.
“But make no mistake, Broward County stands ready to help these families make this transition.”
That may not be necessary now. CBP released a statement to Politico on Friday stating the agency is “not transporting any family units to Florida at this time.”
DeSantis’ most recent statement suggests Trump won’t move forward with the plan in the future.
At the same time, CBP officials have made clear they face capacity issues at the Mexican border. If a continued stream of immigrants comes to the border, the agency may have to send migrants to facilities outside border states.
The news of potentially sending immigrants to South Florida upset many in Florida, including state Sen. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican.
Gruters co-chaired Trump’s Florida campaign in 2016 and now serves as state party chair. He also sponsored legislation this year prohibiting so-called sanctuary cities in Florida.
He said he was pleased to learn CBP won’t be sending excess migrants to South Florida. But he holds Congressional leaders responsible for capacity issues at the border.
His answer?
“Lock it down,” he said.
Gruters said Trump’s plan to severely limit immigration will solve border issues.
