DeSantis sends soldiers, aircraft to ‘protect’ Florida from illegal immigrant boats amid Haiti unrest

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday that he is sending over 250 additional soldiers and officers, as well as aircraft and boats, to "protect" the state from vessels carrying illegal immigrants from Haiti – as gang violence has brought additional turmoil to the Caribbean nation.

The development comes amid ongoing unrest in Haiti, where the country’s powerful gangs have burned police stations, attacked the main airport and raided two of the country’s biggest prisons in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced Tuesday that he will resign once a traditional presidential council is created, bowing to international pressure to do so.

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A U.S. Coast Guard boat pulls up next to a sailboat containing approximately 150 migrants on July 21, 2022, in Islandia, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

But any unrest in Haiti raises the possibility that even more displaced Haitians may attempt to reach the U.S., including by boat.

DeSantis, in a statement, said the Sunshine State has been dedicating "significant resources" to stopping illegal vessels coming to Florida.

"Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state," he said. 

"No state has done more to supplement the (under-resourced) U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida," he said.

The deployment includes 48 additional National Guardsmen with four additional helicopters, 39 officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 30 additional Florida Highway Patrol officers with aircraft and drones, and 23 additional officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission with eight additional seacraft, according to DeSantis' office.

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A surge of Haitian migration came via the U.S. southern land border in 2021, leading to significant numbers sheltering under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas. That, in turn, led to an encounter with Border Patrol, in which agents were falsely accused of "whipping" migrants.

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Haitians are also eligible for a controversial parole program that allows up to 30,000 nationals from Haiti, as well as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, to fly into the U.S. each month. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. deployed a Marine anti-terrorist unit to protect the American embassy in Haiti.

The U.S. Southern Command said in a statement early Wednesday that at the request of the State Department, it deployed a "U.S. Marine Fleet-Anti-terrorism Security Team (FAST) to maintain strong security capabilities at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and conduct relief in place for our current Marines, a common and routine practice worldwide." 

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"The U.S. Embassy remains open, and limited operations continue, focused on assistance to U.S. citizens and supporting Haitian-led efforts to secure a peaceful transition of power," it added. 

Rebecca Zimmerman, assistant secretary of defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, was asked by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., what is being done to prepare for any potential wave of migrants from Haiti. 

"At the moment, we have not yet seen large numbers, what we would characterize as maritime mass migration," Zimmerman told Gaetz. "We are alert to that possibility. I think you’re right that the driving conditions in Haiti could very well press more people. We recently approved some additional assistance we could provide to the Coast Guard." 

In a statement to Fox, the Department of Homeland Security said it is "monitoring the situation in Haiti and coordinating closely with the State Department and international partners." The agency's Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast is tasked with maintaining awareness of any migrant flows and related geopolitical, social and economic factors that many affect that migration. 

"At this time, irregular migration flows through the Caribbean remain low. All irregular migration journeys, especially maritime routes, are extremely dangerous, unforgiving, and often result in loss of life. DHS will continue to enforce U.S. laws and policy throughout the Florida Straits and the Caribbean region," a spokesperson said. "U.S. policy is to return noncitizens who do not have a fear of persecution or torture or a legal basis to enter the United States. Those interdicted at sea are subject to immediate repatriation pursuant to our longstanding policy and procedures.  The United States returns or repatriates migrants interdicted at sea to The Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.

Fox News' Greg Norman, Danielle Wallace and Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.