Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that Haitians fleeing the gang-controlled nation to South Florida could get shipped off to the destination island of Martha’s Vineyard.
“We do have our transport program also that’s going to be operational,” DeSantis said Tuesday on Dana Loesch’s podcast.
“Haitians land in the Florida Keys – their next stop very well may be Martha’s Vineyard.”
Florida is roughly 850 miles from Haiti and has been hit by an influx of migrants showing up to the Sunshine State’s shores by boat amid the nation’s conflict.
The Republican governor announced last week an increase of personnel and aircraft to the Florida coast in light of unrest in Haiti and the potential for an increase in migration via the sea from the conflict-hit country.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warns Haitians could be shipped off to Martha’s Vineyard. (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images)
“The problem when you get to a situation like Florida is if they have people in our state and we wanted to fly them, say, back to Haiti, you have to get clearance to be able to do that. If you wanted to fly somebody to a South American country, wherever they’re from, it becomes a little bit more difficult because the federal government’s going to tell the host countries not to accept our planes,” DeSantis said.
“It’s a little bit different for a maritime state like us,” he continued. “That’s why we’ve really got to get them before they reach the shores, and that’s why we’re working so hard to do that.”
The Caribbean nation has seen a significant escalation in violence after gangs overran the capital of Port-au-Prince, resulting in the resignation of embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry. They burned police stations and ransacked the main airport, plunging the country into anarchy. Gangs have also raided some of the largest prisons, releasing thousands of inmates.
Aid groups say nearly 1.4 million people in the nation are on the verge of famine and more than 4 million need help accessing food.
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Haitians react after a dozen people are killed in the street by gang members, in Pétionville, Haiti, on Monday, March 18. (Clarens Siffroy/AFP via Getty Images)
The defense deployment in Florida includes 48 additional National Guardsmen with four additional helicopters, 39 officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 30 additional Florida Highway Patrol officers with aircraft and drones, and 23 additional officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission with eight additional seacrafts, according to DeSantis’ office.
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A “Welcome to Florida” sign (Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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On Friday, DeSantis said state law enforcement had intercepted a vessel coming to the Florida coast carrying dozens of Haitian migrants, as well as firearms, drugs and night vision gear.
“I’ve got to defend my state,” DeSantis said. “I’ve got enough issues just dealing with people fleeing from blue states moving to Florida.”
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.