Florida vs. Biden On Immigration

The Biden administration, having opened the Southern border to a massive wave of illegal immigration, is covertly distributing migrants around the country. The State of Florida has now told the administration that enough is enough.

Embedded below is a letter from Governor Ron DeSantis’s General Counsel, Ryan Newman, to the Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The letter tells HHS that Florida will no longer participate in the federal government’s Unaccompanied Alien Children program. Newman writes:

The Federal Government has chosen to be the caretaker of UAC [Unaccompanied Alien Children] arriving at the border; it must take full responsibility for that choice.

Florida is unhappy with how the Biden administration is administering the UAC program. The burden is distributed unequally among the states, and Florida has been sent a disproportionate number of minors (or alleged minors). Worse, the Biden administration has failed to vet the individuals it ships to Florida:

Federal policies that incentivize the trafficking of UAD are not only a burden on states but are also dangerous for the unaccompanied minors. Many of these UAC are trafficked to the southern border by cartels and other illicit actors. After taking custody of the minors, the federal government then, in effect, completes the human trafficking scheme by delivering the minors to persons across the country, many of whom are unknown or poorly vetted, involved in the trafficking conspiracy, or themselves in the country unlawfully.

Newman points out that according to news reports, the government seems to have lost track of around one-third of unaccompanied minors after they enter the country. But that’s not all:

The UAC program is also a hazard to Floridians. Most UAC are male teenagers nearing adulthood, and some are gang members when they arrive or later become gang members. … Unfortunately, the Federal Government’s failure to verify the age of UAC released into the United States can have deadly consequences. Late last year, a Florida man was murdered by an adult foreign national who entered the country illegally claiming to be an unaccompanied minor.

The letter concludes that Florida will no longer participate in “this highly flawed federal program” unless significant changes are made:

Under the emergency rule, DCF has no obligation to enter into any cooperative agreement with the Federal Government, and it does not intend to do so unless the Federal Government restores the immigration enforcement policies of the prior administration or implements similar such policies. Faithful enforcement of federal immigration law to secure the border, deter illegal immigration, and prevent the surge of illegal aliens at the border, including UAC, is a baseline prerequisite to any future cooperative agreement involving the resettlement of UAC in Florida.

The letter concludes:

So long as the Biden administration continues its irresponsible immigration policies, Florida no longer wishes to be involved in the Federal Government’s UAC resettlement program. DCF’s change of policy makes clear that the Federal Government, not the State of Florida, is solely responsible for the care and safety of the UAC that it has chosen to bring into the country.

The letter also addresses legal and regulatory issues. Here it is:

Florida has become the leader in advancing conservative principles and standing up to federal government bullying. If the 2024 presidential election were taking place today, Ron DeSantis would have my vote.