STUART, Fla. — A surge of US Coast Guard crews are headed to Florida just one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to use federal military forces to defend the border.
Coast Guard Acting Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday said in a statement, “I have directed my operational commanders to immediately surge assets—cutters, aircraft, boats, and deployable specialized forces—to increase Coast Guard presence and focus.”
Law enforcement at the county level is looking forward to the help.
“Homeland Security, the Coast Guard—we’ve had great people working here in this county, but they have been hamstrung for the past several years and so we’re looking forward to being back out there with them, stopping human trafficking, drug trafficking,” Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said.
WATCH: Martin County Sheriff speaks to WPTV Reporter Cassandra Garcia on working with Coast Guard crews following Trump's executive order
Last year, Customs and Border Protection agents in our region responded to at least 25 migrant encounters involving more than 500 people.
Budensiek said the number could increase as federal agents focus on the southern border.
"As the drug trafficking is hopefully stopped on the Mexican border side, they’re going to try to do an in route back into the East Coast,” Budensiek said.
Martin County has made changes of its own, turning its marine units into certified federal agents.
“It gives them federal jurisdiction to go up to 26 miles offshore to help Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and the Coast Guard cut down on illegal immigration and drug smuggling,” Budensiek said.
"We will detect, deter and interdict illegal migration, drug smuggling and other terrorist or hostile activity before it reaches our border," Lunday added.
Budensiek said his office is focused on doing the same.
"We’re going to push back as hard as we can on the eastern seaboard,” Budensiek said.
