Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared the state closed to Haitian migrants. He expressed that moving into the state from Texas is an unwelcome move while battling Biden over immigration.
On Tuesday, DeSantis sued the Biden administration over the decision to release many of the migrants who showed up at the Texas border last month into the United States, reported Sun-Sentinel.
The lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney claims that federal immigration policy will cost the state millions of dollars and harm Florida.
The state has complained that the administration should retain individuals seeking asylum at the border instead of allowing them to move independently while awaiting their respective immigration hearings.
DeSantis also signed an executive order forbidding any state agency from assisting or abetting the migrants in any way.
The order went even further by authorizing the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol to detain aircraft, bus or other vehicles within the State of Florida reasonably believed to be transporting illegal “aliens” to Florida from the Southwest Border.
DeSantis’ moves have reawakened the assertion that race has played a part in the Haitian migrant crisis, both currently and historically.
“I wonder if DeSantis would have done the same if those were Cuban refugees and asylum seekers versus refugees of Haitian or Afro descent,” said Jude Derisme, a Haitian immigrant who spearheaded a protest in West Palm Beach with his Byrnes Guillaume, an attorney who is also a Haitian immigrant.
For Derisme, the thought of migrants being unwelcome considering the contributions of Haitians to the United States is unconscionable.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is in the midst of its own fight over its ability to use Title 42 to deport more migrants. Title 42 is an immigration provision that allows migrants to be turned back to their home country in the case of a public health crisis. Although the administration lost the initial lawsuit, an appeals court has issued a stay on the ruling.
For now, DeSantis’ order leaves assistance for the migrants in the hands of churches, non-profit organizations, and private citizens. Free legal assistance is being offered as a part of the Haitian Bridge Project.
