In a press release issued on Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that the state of Florida will be sending assets to southern Florida and the Florida Keys to stop any possible influx of illegal immigration from violence-torn Haiti.

“For quite some time, the State of Florida has been dedicating significant resources to combat illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries such as Haiti,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “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. 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.”

The press release includes a description of the forces being deployed.

Currently, state agencies have security and surveillance assets in South Florida and the Keys as a part of Operation Vigilant Sentry to stop illegal immigration at sea. The governor’s directive today will send additional personnel and assets from the following agencies:

• The Florida Department of Law Enforcement: 39 additional officers.
• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: 23 additional officers with eight additional seacraft.
• The Florida National Guard: 48 additional Guardsmen with four additional helicopters.
• The Florida Highway Patrol: 30 additional officers with an additional aircraft and drones for surveillance.

The press release in its entirety may be viewed here.

Previously on RedState: NEW: U.S. Military Evacuates Haitian Embassy As Gangs Attack Police Stations 

It Never Ends: U.S. Preparing for Migratory Invasion From Haiti, Pentagon Warns

Illegal immigration has been a major problem, one that has exploded under the Biden Administration, with literally millions of illegal immigrants flooding across the southern border, not only from Central and South America but also from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia — including China. Faced with inaction by the Biden administration, Texas took action on its own account to try to hold back the tide, and several states have lent Texas support in doing the work that the Biden administration refuses to do. Interestingly, at the end of the press release, Governor DeSantis channels a little of Texas Governor Greg Abbot:

Illegal immigrants feel empowered to enter the sovereign territory of the United States because of the federal government’s refusal to diligently enforce our immigration laws and protect the integrity of the border. When a state faces the possibility of invasion, it has the right and duty to defend its territory and people. Under Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida will act.

The immigration issue, once again, is likely to be the issue of the 2024 presidential election. During the Biden administration, at least 2,000,000 people have illegally entered the United States. Adding an unchecked flow of refugees from Haiti, given the Biden administration's predilection for bringing in anyone requesting "asylum" with little or no screening or background checks, is, at the very best, unwise. Haiti is, right now, descended into utter barbarity, and there is no guarantee that some of the gang members taking over that failed Caribbean nation may not be looking north with envious eyes and ill intent.