White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Friday’s press briefing that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a “mockery” of the immigration system.
DeSantis deployed the National Guard on Jan. 6 and declared a state of emergency to assist in handling the hundreds of Cuban migrants who have entered South Florida by boat. The press secretary told Yahoo Senior White House Correspondent Alexander Nazaryan that the governor participated in “political stunts” that risked migrants’ lives.
“Governor DeSantis has made a mockery of the system and he has consistently, constantly as many of you have reported, has done political stunts. Has not helped to address the issue, But has instead decided to put the lives of migrants who are coming here for a better life at risk and that’s what we have seen from this governor,” she said.
The press secretary said the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection processed the migrants and placed them in removal proceedings in order to expel them. She added that the administration had increased resources for migrants to enter the U.S. (RELATED: KJP: It’s ‘Cruel’ To Send Migrants To Liberal Sanctuary Cities)
“The president expanded safe, orderly, legal pathways for migration, including for Cubans and we continue to urge individuals to use those instead of risking their lives at the hands of human [smugglers] and you’ve heard that directly from this president just a couple of days ago on the world stage in Mexico City,” she concluded.
An influx of Cubans arriving illegally by boat has flooded the Florida Keys region in the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years — a large uptick from the 2021 fiscal year, Politico reported. Since the beginning of the 2022 fiscal year in October, agents have apprehended 4,153 Cubans at sea.
The Florida governor said the influx of migrants in the Keys has been “particularly burdensome” on local officials, the outlet reported and has requested help from the U.S. Coast Guard to deal with the surge.
President Joe Biden announced a new policy in Mexico City that allows for 30,000 Cuban, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants to enter the U.S. per month if they have a U.S. sponsor and apply via a phone application known as “CBP [Customs and Border Protection] One.” The administration had begun expelling migrants from these countries and Haiti.
The White House criticized DeSantis in recent months for relocating fifty migrants who voluntarily boarded two planes to the upper-class city of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The governor previously announced his intention to send illegal migrants to Illinois and Delaware, Biden’s home state.