DeSantis orders Florida resources to stop any increase in Haitian migrants fleeing violence

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered more than 250 law enforcement officers and soldiers to the Florida Keys on Wednesday to help stop what he anticipates to be an increase in Haitian migrants fleeing violence in their country.

The governor said in a news release he is sending a mix of Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers along with members of the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard to the waters south of the state’s southern Peninsula.

Haitians have been migrating to the U.S. in large numbers for several years, many having left their Caribbean nation after a devastating 2010 earthquake.

In recent days, Haiti has witnessed a series of gang attacks that have paralyzed the country, forcing thousands of people from their homes, especially in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, where the port and airport remain closed. The armed gangs seized power in much of Port-au-Prince following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise and now control about 80% of the city.

The U.N. food agency reported Tuesday that 4 million people face “acute food insecurity” and 1 million are one step away from famine.

After an intense session of international diplomacy, a group of Caribbean nations and the United States announced Tuesday that Haiti’s best hope for calming violence rests with the creation of a presidential council of influential figures who would elected an interim prime minister and open the pathway for presidential elections. Some Haitian political parties have rejected the plan.

As part of the DeSantis order, the state will also deploy four helicopters, a plane, eight seacraft and drones to help interdict migrants.