Dozens of illegal immigrants land on Florida beach, run from police as migrant crisis surges away from border
A Florida government spokesperson told Fox News Digital that 8,400 migrants have been intercepted in the Florida Keys since August
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Over two dozen illegal immigrants were arrested on the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, days after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he mobilized the National Guard to combat a migrant influx that the White House called a "political stunt."
A group of what police say were at least 25 to 50 migrants made landfall at Fort Lauderdale Beach on Tuesday afternoon before they dispersed and fled from police, WSVN-TV reported.
Police reportedly arrested 12 of the migrants, while the others disappeared into the town. Of the 12 arrested, nine were from Haiti, two from Brazil and one from the Bahamas.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital obtained a photo from the scene showing a Fort Lauderdale police officer detaining two migrants and putting one of them in handcuffs.
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Fort Lauderdale, Florida, police arrest fleeing migrants who landed at the beach. (Fox News Digital)
A spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management told Fox News Digital that the Coast Guard has interdicted more than 8,400 migrants and repatriated more than 7,600 since August of last year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the entirety of the 2021 fiscal year, the Coast Guard interdicted 5,028 migrants, according to Homeland Security data.
DeSantis signed an executive order just days earlier activating the Florida National Guard to assist local law enforcement in the state with the influx of migrants coming into South Florida from Cuba and other Caribbean nations.
"As the negative impacts of Biden’s lawless immigration policies continue unabated, the burden of the Biden administration’s failure falls on local law enforcement who lack the resources to deal with the crisis," DeSantis said. "That is why I am activating the National Guard and directing state resources to help alleviate the strain on local resources. When Biden continues to ignore his legal responsibilities, we will step in to support our communities."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}RON DESANTIS SENDS TWO PLANES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO MARTHA'S VINEYARD
Gov. Ron DeSantis activated the Florida National Guard on Jan. 6 in response to a surge in migrants coming in boats to the Florida Keys. (Miami U.S. Border Patrol)
On Wednesday, the Biden White House accused DeSantis of orchestrating a "political stunt" by mobilizing the National Guard in response to the migrant influx that included at least 300 migrants landing at Dry Tortugas National Park last week.
Hours after that statement from the White House, the Florida Coast Guard sent DeSantis a letter asking for help and more resources addressing the migrant crisis that is developing in the state.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne on Dec. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
DeSantis said that the state will begin footing the bill for residents when migrants' boats land on their private property. State law requires the landowner to pay for the removal of the boat if left there by migrants, and several residents have expressed frustration with that rule.
"We are going to clear the vessels free of charge for those residents because it wasn't their fault — maybe we'll send the bill to Biden," DeSantis said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management told Fox News Digital that approximately 250 vessels have been "identified for removal from Florida waterways and land which FWC [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission] crews are actively removing as they are spotted."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin said the governor "is committed to acting within his power to shield Florida from the disastrous effects of President Biden’s abdication of his responsibility to secure our nation’s borders."
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The past year is believed to represent the largest influx in history of migrants from Cuba attempting to reach the U.S., with more than 227,000 Cubans fleeing the island's communist regime.
In a press release earlier this month, the U.S. Coast Guard says it has interdicted 4,917 Cubans since October 1, 2022 compared to 6,182 in Fiscal Year 2022, 838 in Fiscal Year 2021, and 49 in Fiscal Year 2020.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf contributed to this report.