Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis intensified his migration battle with the Biden government on Tuesday. The Florida governor ordered state agencies to stop helping federal officials in transferring migrants.
The governor also urged Florida security agencies to “audit” big private companies to ensure their employees are legally allowed to work in the United States. Additional orders from DeSantis are to apprehend bus services, aircraft, or automobiles “generally expected” to be transferring somebody who came here illegally from the Mexico border.
A New Legal Case to Back up DeSantis
DeSantis’ behavior was accompanied with a new lawsuit filed by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as other top Biden border officials.
This lawsuit is alleging federal officials are breaking immigration laws. It also states Florida suffers as a result of imprisoned migrants being released and told to show up at immigration deliberations at a future stage.
DeSantis: “In Australia right now, after a year and a half, they’re still enforcing lockdowns by the military…Is Australia freer than communist China right now?…The fact that’s even a question tells you something has gone dramatically off the rails.”pic.twitter.com/YKQ5yAwg4K
— Michael P Senger (@MichaelPSenger) September 28, 2021
“If you know what’s really going on at the Mexico border, it’s a major catastrophe,” DeSantis said at a media briefing in Fort Myers, announcing his plans. “This is unquestionably a catastrophe. We are the people who are being harmed and we must start fighting back.”
At Tuesday’s media briefing, Moody (who, like DeSantis, is fighting for re-election in 2022) went after Biden. She claimed Biden is helping and aiding criminal cartels because of his government’s policies on immigration.
DeSantis then said Biden’s measures were “deliberate” and “political” and they were geared to counteract former President Trump’s activities.
Florida rejects the Biden administration’s policy of open borders and mass illegal immigration. pic.twitter.com/gPN5EHuIaO
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 28, 2021
This is Nothing New for DeSantis
DeSantis (who is expected to run for president in 2024) previously advocated for a hard line on migration measures. He is also supportive of a prohibition on so-called “cities and states” and a rain-fed mandate that employers screen workers through an immigration enforcement registry.
Both DeSantis and Moody paid a visit to the border of Texas this summer; this occurred during the very same time Florida dispatched 250 law enforcement officers to assist local authorities in dealing with an influx of migrants.
Conservatives in Florida were initially wary of immigration, fearful it would erode their support among the state’s Latino voters. Despite taking a tough on immigration, Trump won the state in 2016 and DeSantis mirrored his positions two years later on the public stage.
The issue resonates strongly with conservative voters, whom DeSantis will rely on to win re-election next year and any subsequent Republican primaries. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said Tuesday she was unaware of the specifics of Florida’s lawsuit.
Psaki then said the Biden government is willing to have a “constructive debate” regarding immigration rules because the current scenario is not “stable.”
Psaki, on the other hand, stated “we don’t have unlimited immigration” and it is “not true” to claim someone who receives a notice to appear will “remain long term” in the United States.
