WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Sheriffs from multiple states, including Florida, on Wednesday sent a letter to the White House asking the federal government to stop what they call "unchecked illegal immigration."
Among the Florida sheriffs who included their names on the letter were Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers.
The letter, titled "Help America's Sheriffs Keep Our Neighborhoods and Communities Safe By Halting Illegal Immigration," said the immigration crisis at the Mexico border is impacting the safety of Americans and "penetrating our neighborhoods."
The letter asks President Joe Biden to change his administration's border policies.
"More parents will suffer the loss of their children, not because they were irresponsible, but because of exposure to criminal illegal alien violence caused by the reckless and irresponsible policies of your administration," the letter states.
The sheriffs claim Biden is "encouraging and sanctioning lawlessness" and asked that he resume construction of the border wall.
Since taking office, Biden has reversed many of President Trump's hardline immigration tactics.
U.S. authorities said they picked up nearly 19,000 children traveling alone across the Mexican border in March, the largest monthly number ever recorded.
Experts say a complex mix of policies and conditions in the United States and Central America is driving the increase in kids at the border.
The majority of the encounters at the border involve single adults, which U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it continues to expel.
In March, the agency said it expelled 103,900 individuals, 28% of whom were individuals who had been previously expelled from the U.S.
Portions of this article courtesy of the Associated Press
