Staff Reports
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has launched scathing criticism against President Joe Biden following revelations that over 300,000 illegal immigrants were flown into Florida using taxpayer funds.
Recent data from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) unveiled that the Biden Administration utilized a parole program to transport 326,000 illegal immigrants into Florida, with Miami emerging as the primary destination for these flights. DeSantis expressed dismay at the Biden Administration's failure to communicate adequately regarding the surge of illegal immigrants into the state.
DeSantis Responds After Biden Flew 300,000 Illegal Immigrants to Floridahttps://t.co/kv1oXB1kdZ
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DeSantis expressed his frustration during a press briefing, stating, "They don't inform us whenever somebody arrives. We cannot verify these numbers; they withhold information from us, and we haven't observed such significant increases in our communities suddenly."
Reaffirming his staunch opposition to illegal immigration, DeSantis reiterated the state's policy of denying identification cards to undocumented individuals. He criticized the Biden Administration for potentially favoring sanctuary jurisdictions over Florida, asserting, "It appears that Biden is funneling individuals into our state through this unlawful parole program, and then they're relocating to sanctuary cities. We are not a sanctuary state. We do not harbor sanctuary cities. We have implemented measures to prevent them from obtaining driver's licenses or ID cards."
The governor vowed to challenge the Biden Administration's parole program, declaring, "They are admitting individuals who lack the right to be in this country from foreign nations."
In January 2023, the Biden Administration expanded its parole program to include Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Colombians, following previous expansions for Venezuelans and Ukrainians in October 2022. This program grants illegal immigrants work permits and a two-year authorization to reside in the U.S. Consequently, over 386,000 illegal aliens have been transported to airports across the country, with 326,000 landing in Florida.
Todd Bensman, senior national security fellow at CIS, commented, "Initial evidence suggests that a significant number of these inadmissible alien passengers, possibly a majority, initially arrive at international airports in Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis's Florida… Florida emerges as the primary landing and U.S. customs processing area for this direct-flight parole-and-release initiative, with nearly 326,000 initial arrivals from the program's inception through February."
DeSantis accused the Biden Administration of maintaining secrecy surrounding the program, arguing, "It's clandestine because they are not disclosing this information to anyone."
On the six-month anniversary of the program, the Department of Homeland Security disclosed that 160,000 illegal immigrants had entered the U.S. due to the initiative, further exacerbating DeSantis' frustration with the lack of transparency from the federal government.
