Ron DeSantis sends up to 1,000 Florida National Guard troops to Texas-Mexico border to ‘stop this invasion once and for all’ because Biden doesn’t have ‘the will to get the job done’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that he will send a battalion of National Guardsmen to strengthen border security in Texas.

“We are here to say as Floridians that we must stop this invasion of our southern border once and for all,” he said.

That meant sending “up to” 1,000 National Guard members, he said, and for the first time also deploying State Guard members to help in Texas.

Figures from US Customs and Border Protection show that more than 2.5 million people entered the country via the southern border in 2023.

And it’s one of the biggest issues for voters in this year’s presidential election.

He also expressed support for Texas and its efforts to secure the border with razor wire. “I believe that a state has the right to fortify its own borders,” he said

“Biden has the authority to close this border today if he chooses,” said DeSantis, who ended his own 2024 run two weeks ago. ‘He lacks the will to get the job done.

‘He lacks the ability to see the problem for what it is and get the job done. And so the American people are basically left in trouble and have to deal with all of this on their own.”

The initial deployment will consist of 100 troops.

John D. Haas of the Florida National Guard said, “I’m proud to say that the Florida National Guard is once again ready to answer the call.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is locked in a battle with the Biden administration over his efforts to secure the border.

The federal government is threatening legal action after the state seized Shelby Park near Eagle Pass, an intersection hot spot. And federal officials cut razor wire installed by the Texas government.

DeSantis offered his support and the support of guardsmen to build barriers.

“I believe that a state has the right to fortify its own borders,” he said. “And so if Texas helps put up barriers, put up barbed wire and other things to keep illegal aliens out, I want to help them do that.”

Meanwhile, a convoy of conservative activists calling themselves “God’s army” headed to the southern border on Monday to protest the numbers of migrants entering the country illegally.

Migrants attempt to cross the Mexico-United States border in Ciudad Juarez despite increased security measures. More than 2.5 million people arrived in 2023

The immigration crisis has raised tensions between the federal government and Texas under Gov. Greg Abbott, who has called the growing influx of migrants an invasion and erected razor-wire fences in defiance of the Supreme Court and the Biden administration.

A convoy of conservative activists calling themselves “God’s Army” left Emporia, Virginia for the southern border on Monday

Dozens of people joined the self-described grassroots movement “Take Our Border Back” in Norfolk, Virginia, for the weeklong trip.

Meanwhile, Congress is considering a bipartisan bill to strengthen border security and send more aid to Ukraine and Israel.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said senators will vote no later than next Wednesday.

“We cannot simply avoid our responsibilities just because the task is difficult,” he said.

However, former President Donald Trump has urged Republicans to reject the proposal and House Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed skepticism about the talks.

Biden expressed his frustration on Tuesday.

“I did everything I could do,” he told reporters as he left the White House for a fundraising trip to Florida.

‘Give me the power. I’ve been asking since the day I took office. Give me the Border Patrol, give me the judges, give me the people who can stop this and make it work.”

At the same time, Republicans are moving toward impeachment the removal of the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for what they say is a “deliberate and systematic” refusal to enforce immigration laws.