Governor Ron DeSantis: “Florida is sending help to Texas to secure the southern border”

Press release from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida stands ready to help defend the southern border and is deploying assets to aid Texas’ border security crisis. Florida has over 1,100 assets and resources available including:

  • 101 Florida Highway Patrol Troopers
  • 200 Florida Department of Law Enforcement Officers, in teams of 40
  • 20 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officers
  • 800 Florida National Guard Soldiers
  • 20 Emergency Management Personnel – including radio technicians, logisticians, mechanics, and planners  
  • Five available fixed-wing aircraft with monitoring equipment and downlink capabilities, with two aviation crew teams
  • Two Mobile Command Vehicles and two command teams
  • 17 available unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and support teams
  • 10 vessels – including airboats, shallow draft vessels, and mid-range vessels

“The impacts of Biden’s Border Crisis are felt by communities across the nation, and the federal government’s abdication of duty undermines the sovereignty of our country and the rule of law,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “At my direction, state agencies including law enforcement and the Florida National Guard are being deployed to Texas, with assets including personnel, boats, and planes. While Biden ignores the crisis he created, Florida stands ready to help Texas respond to this crisis.”

“We stand with Texas as they work to repel illegal aliens at the border,” said Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie. “We are prepared to assist however needed.”

Through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), states can provide resources, including personnel, to other states to assist in times of emergency. Texas and Florida are both parties to this agreement and can accept support from each other at any time through an EMAC request. The EMAC process also ensures resources and personnel deployed for emergency situations are eligible for FEMA reimbursement. In 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis answered the call for support and reinforcements following a letter from Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona requesting immediate assistance with the security crisis overwhelming law enforcement at the southern border.

Resources are available through the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida National Guard, Florida Highway Patrol, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and stand ready to deploy within the next 24 hours. 

  • This is completely unnecessary and is just grandstanding. Let Texas and the feds handle it. DeSantis will do just about anything to get his name in print. And he still won’t be President.

    • I don’t mind helping other states in a crises but this is money that could be used to fix highways in Florida.

    • Oh but you love,love, love Bozo Biden who has wrecked this country!

    • I don’t agree with the deployment of personnel to Texas any more than the next but one thing is clear, the Fed isn’t doing much to help the border crisis.

  • This is egregious. I’ve enjoyed him as Governor overall but he is pimping himself out at this point. At least he isn’t quite as obvious as the current and previous several presidents. No one is going to save us…time for us to collectively grow up

  • Why, why are my tax dollars going to Texas? So our governor can become president? Real shame thinking how my vote went to him. He needs to focus on our state and our issues instead of those in Texas – that’s their problem! Can we focus on our problems now instead of funding this ghost campaign he’s running?! Trump needs to turn up the heat on Deshameus

    • There is no difference in Biden paying off student loan problems, and Desantis paying for Texas border problems. Time for him to worry about the state that elected him again

  • Why the complaints? It’s cheaper for us taxpayers to help Texas than paying for the life-long “freebies” the illegals would get in Florida.

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