White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, calling the activation of the Florida National Guard (FNG) last week a “political stunt.”
DeSantis ordered the FNG activated in response to an increase of Cuban and Haitian migrants arriving in the Florida Keys.
On Wednesday, when asked about a DeSantis executive order blaming the Biden administration for an “alarming influx of migrants,” Jean-Pierre said DeSantis is “creating a problem” and “making a mockery of a problem the president is trying to fix.”
“We have seen Gov. DeSantis do political stunts. That is how he perceives to fix this issue from Florida,” Jean-Pierre replied.
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“We’re talking about people who are coming from countries who are dealing with political strife, who are dealing with issues where they’re trying to find asylum. And he treats them like pawns,” Jean-Pierre continued. “So, we have called that out, over and over again. And we will continue to do that.”
DeSantis’ order primarily authorized state Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie to coordinate a response with local, state, and federal agencies and directed law enforcement and other state agencies to provide assistance to local governments.
DeSantis opened the order by declaring the actions are needed “to protect Floridians from the dangerous impacts of the Biden Border Crisis.”
A news release accompanying the executive order called Biden’s immigration policies “lawless.”
“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,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “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.”
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It is particularly burdensome for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which has 194 deputies, to dedicate the necessary resources to manage the movement of hundreds of migrants while also ensuring adequate public safety.
“The Biden Administration’s response has been inept, failing to provide the resources necessary to respond to the current mass migration event. Instead, the burden falls on local law enforcement, which puts Floridians at risk,” said the governor’s office.
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