Heeding the call of two fellow Republican governors, DeSantis announced Wednesday that Florida law-enforcement officers will go to Texas and Arizona to help with border control.
During a news conference in Pensacola, DeSantis said the decision was in response to a joint letter that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey sent to the governors of the 48 other states.
DeSantis, widely viewed as a potential 2024 presidential candidate, used the media event to criticize President Joe Biden’s border-security record.
“The Biden administration ended effective policies that have been implemented by President Donald Trump to curb illegal immigration across the Southern border,” DeSantis said. “They have revoked policies designed to secure our border and keep Americans safe.”
Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, called DeSantis’ action “another political stunt,” asserting in a Twitter post that the governor’s priorities are out of whack.
“Instead of perpetuating the attacks on immigrants and going after (the) Biden Administration, why don’t you focus on the people who live in Florida,” Eskamani wrote. “We’re dealing w/a broken unemployment system and affordable housing crisis that you could be fixing!”
Though the governor heralded the decision to send Florida officers to Texas and Arizona, details were scarce. The number of Florida officers that will be deployed, where they will go and the costs to Florida taxpayers had not been determined, DeSantis said Wednesday.
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