The situation at the U.S.-Mexico border has reached unprecedented levels, with border officials encountering the highest number of illegal immigrants in a single day.
On Monday, a staggering 14,509 immigrants were encountered by federal law enforcement, surpassing all previous records set by the Biden administration over the past three years.
The impact of this crisis is felt most acutely in border towns like Eagle Pass, Texas, where Rep. Tony Gonzales describes the situation as “all very sad.”
The surge in illegal border crossings poses significant challenges for law enforcement in the border states, but this crisis reaches far beyond the border and is felt across the nation.
In August, Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey deployed National Guard troops to help with the state’s migrant crisis. The National Guard troops will support migrants living in emergency shelter hotels. The state currently has 6,000 families, including children and pregnant women, in its care.
“Massachusetts is in a state of emergency, and we need all hands on deck to meet this moment and ensure families have access to safe shelter and basic services,” Healey said in the statement.
New York City is trying to expel migrants by offering them plane tickets to leave for other states, or places outside of the country, but many of the migrants don’t want to leave.
Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) have been actively diversifying their sources of fentanyl supply as China tightens its control over precursor chemicals, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
This diversification is evident in the increasing number of fentanyl shipments from India destined for Mexico. Mexican TCOs have been able to establish connections with Indian suppliers, who provide them with finished fentanyl powder and precursor chemicals.
DEA operations, in collaboration with Mexican authorities, have successfully dismantled numerous fentanyl pill-pressing operations and synthesis laboratories in recent years. These facilities often utilize sophisticated equipment and unregulated chemicals to produce fentanyl and illicit fentanyl-containing tablets.
The Sinaloa and the New Generation Jalisco cartels are believed to be the primary trafficking groups responsible for smuggling fentanyl into the United States from Mexico.
These cartels control the trafficking corridors that connect Mexico with California and Arizona, exerting significant influence over the drugs that pass through the border and into our communities.
The state of Florida took a more proactive approach at the start of the crisis, with Florida Governor DeSantis unveiling three substantial measures that the state took in response to the border surge, and they’re working.
Initially, Governor DeSantis declared that a strike force comprised of state and local law enforcement had been established in Florida with the mission of apprehending unlawful weapons being transported through the state and preventing human smuggling and trafficking.
DeSantis has additionally petitioned the Florida Supreme Court for the establishment of a statewide grand jury tasked with investigating the operations of global human trafficking networks that transport unauthorized individuals to Florida via the southern border.
Related: Florida Gov. DeSantis Announces Nationwide Anti-Illegal Immigration Coalition
Subsequently, Senate Bill 1808, which Governor DeSantis had introduced to provide additional safeguards for Floridians amidst the border crisis, was ratified into law.
So what does that all mean?
In 2023, the Florida strike force operations yielded an increase in drug charges, fugitive warrants, felony charges, felony arrests, misdemeanor warrants, guns recovered, vehicles seized, marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine seizures from 2022.
“The Biden administration is asleep at the wheel, and Florida will not sit idly by while drugs continue to pour across the open southern border and into our communities,” said Governor Ron DeSantis in August. “The overwhelming success of our interdiction strike force serves as a blueprint for states across the nation to uphold the rule of law and protect their communities from the Biden Border Crisis.”
Since 2022, the strike force has completed 15 operations resulting in:
- Total Drug Charges: 213
- Total Fugitive Warrants: 67
- Total Felony Charges: 10,757
- Total Felony Arrests: 306
- Total Human Smuggling Arrests: 34
- Total Marijuana: 244.62 pounds valued at $2.2 million
- Total Cocaine: 29.48 pounds, valued at $191,430
- Methamphetamine: 43.33 pounds valued at $1.2 million
- Fentanyl: 8.08 pounds, valued at $549,735
- Currency Seized: $362,248.00
- Total Seized Assets and Drugs: $5,857,119. million
The above arrests and totals reflect the strike force activity but do not encompass the entirety of every arrest, interdiction, or seizure across the state.
Highlights From Strike Force Operations
- FHP conducted a traffic stop in Columbia County. During the investigation, it was determined that the eight (8) occupants were U.D.A’s. Two (2) of the eight (8) were defendants arrested and charged with Human Smuggling was also in possession of a small amount of cocaine.determined to be the smugglers and were placed under arrest. Four (4) of the UDA’s were taken into custody by CBP and processed for deportation. The remaining two (2) were released.
- On June 8, 2023, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Criminal Interdiction Unit (CIU) conducted a traffic stop on a silver Nissan Altima for a traffic violation. K-9 Thor was deployed for a free air sniff and alerted to the vehicle. CIU Troopers conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle, which revealed 181.1 grams of methamphetamine, 3.74lbs. of fentanyl, and 2.6 lbs. of heroin concealed in a speaker box in the trunk.
- On July 13, 2023, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Criminal Interdiction Unit (CIU) conducted a traffic stop on a white Mercedes S56 for a traffic violation. CIU Troopers received consent from the driver to search the vehicle. The driver then indicated that a large amount of U.S. currency was in the vehicle. CIU Troopers located approximately $72,000 in the center console. K-9 Ace was deployed to conduct a free air sniff of the currency and alerted. The currency was seized by the DEA for further investigation. Upon further investigation, it was learned that the driver is involved in an open federal investigation connected to an organization with terroristic affiliations and/or ties.
“The crisis at our border is also a crisis in our communities, with weapons and drugs more available than ever and our children vulnerable,” said Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner. “But under the direction of Governor DeSantis, we are taking action to keep them safe, and law enforcement statewide is focused on preventing these things from taking over our state.”
By intercepting human smuggling/trafficking, narcotics, and illegal weapons as they enter the state, and by providing law enforcement and resources to the southern border and the Florida Keys, these types of operations strengthen Florida’s commitment to maintaining order.
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