WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Members of the Florida National Guard are now patrolling the Texas–Mexico border along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Texas National Guard.
According to the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis, 436 Guard personnel are involved, along with 40 Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents and 101 Florida Highway Patrol troopers.
"We are proud to help Texas fight Biden's Border Crisis," DeSantis said in a tweet.
We are proud to help Texas fight Biden’s Border Crisis. https://t.co/p8HIFLOFJu
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 28, 2023
It was a response to the Texas governor's request for help from other states in the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.
"It's clear this is all about Ron DeSantis and his presidential bid," state Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said. "We honor the work of our National Guard men and women who deserve to rest, not be used as political pawns to the governor's agenda."
A spokesperson for the National Guard sent an emailed statement regarding the deployment.
"The Florida National Guard has benefited from EMAC agreements in the past, most recently during Hurricane Ian," the statement said. "As always, the Florida National Guard remains ready to support our state and nation."
Some who have been along the border said the National Guard is active in facing migrants attempting to cross.
"They were helping the apprehension and detention of these migrants," Vielka Wambold of the migrant assistance group Witness at the Border said. "We saw that in different points along the way."
At the Guatemalan Maya Center in Lake Worth Beach, Danna Torres said there seems to be no consistent surge of migrants.
"I think the numbers are fluctuating," Torres said. "I don't think they've increased to the level that people were expecting or the level we were told to expect."
