Congressman Matt Gaetz is urging the Biden administration to protect Florida from Haitian migrants

State and federal leaders are preparing for an expected surge of Haitian migrants trying to enter into Florida.

This week, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) said he expects thousands of migrants to try to travel by boat to the Florida Keys in an attempt to escape political violence.

“There is the ability for any president to designate an anticipated mass migration and get navy vessels into the straits of Florida," Gaetz said during a House Armed Services Committee. "Deter that migration and repatriate those people.”

Governor Ron DeSantis has already begun activating state authorities. On Wednesday, he announced plans to send 250 state guardsmen to the Florida Keys along with multiple air and water support vessels.

DeSantis, who has also recently sent state resources to Texas to patrol the border with Mexico, has been hammering the Biden administration for what he says are “weak border policies.”

“For quite some time, the State of Florida has been dedicating significant resources to combat illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries such as Haiti,” said DeSantis. “No state has done more to supplement the U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida.”