Florida State, and National, Guard troops are heading to Texas. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued the order Thursday morning, in a move that's surprised even some of his supporters and is raising questions about its legality.
“I just heard about it two minutes ago…I really don’t know what the details are,” said Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo in response to a question about DeSantis' move to send state and national guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas.
The governor made the announcement Thursday morning in Jacksonville. The Florida legislature created the state guard just a few years ago and has steadily expanded its power. The group was initially meant to be deployed in-state only and during emergencies and natural disasters as a supplement to the state guard. Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskoll blasted DeSantis for the move.
“My initial reaction is that he’s so desperate to get national attention," she said. "The men and women didn’t sign up to be used as political stunts, and that’s what this is.”
The Florida State Guard was re-established by the legislature in 2022. A staff analysis of last year’s expansion bill states it can only operate, "with the jurisdiction as considered necessary by the Governor.”
Passidomo was asked if the legislature contemplated that the state guard could be ordered elsewhere.
“This whole state guard program is brand new," she said, "and it's been evolving over the past two years and I think it’ll evolve even further so we’ll see where it goes,."
DeSantis is defending the move. He says the deployment is meant to address an immigration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. The governor previously allowed private contractors to fly undocumented migrants from Texas to other states.
“If we don’t have a border then we are not a sovereign country. You either have a border or you don’t. You’re either a sovereign country or you’re not," he said, characterizing the decision as stepping up to address what he sees as President Joe Biden's immigration border failures.
