The Biden administration is considering processing Haitian migrants at Guantanamo Bay if a mass exodus takes place fleeing gang-fueled violence.
The White House is discussing the plans amid fears that thousands could try to reach the US to escape the Caribbean country on the brink of collapse.
Haitians would be treated at the base, 200 miles (320 kilometers) from Haiti, in a center separate from Camp X, where terrorist suspects are held. CNN reported.
The Department of Homeland Security says migration from the island, which is overtaken by gangs, has been low so far.
But there are concerns that hordes could board boats to try to cross to Florida.
As a result, Ron DeSantis has announced plans to send more than 250 additional soldiers – and a fleet of planes and boats – to “protect” Florida from ships.
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The Biden administration is considering processing Haitian migrants at Guantanamo Bay if a mass exodus takes place fleeing gang-fueled violence. Soldiers patrol the streets of Port-au-Prince on Wednesday
Haitians would be treated at the base, 200 miles from Haiti, in a center separate from Camp X, where terrorist suspects are held
The conservative governor issued the edict on Wednesday as unrest in the Caribbean country continued for a second week.
The deployment includes 48 National Guardsmen, as well as four helicopters that will add to the already volatile defense line along the state’s southern coast.
Another 39 officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 30 from Florida Highway Patrol and 23 from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will also join the front, as well as a litany of planes and drones and eight boats.
The details of the deployment were provided by DeSantis’ office shortly after the failed Republican candidate went to X to announce the operation. Days earlier, the U.S. had deployed Marines to protect the U.S. Embassy in Haiti as gang violence continues to sweep across the country.
DeSantis, 45, outlined his decision Wednesday morning, citing how his state had already gone to great lengths — prior to the current situation — to prevent Haitians from entering illegally.
“The state of Florida has long devoted significant resources to combating illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries like Haiti,” DeSantis said, obliquely mentioning countries such as Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
“Given the circumstances in Haiti,” he continued, “I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy more than 250 additional officers and soldiers and more than a dozen air and naval vessels in to be deployed in the southern areas. coast of Florida.”
The decision, he said, was made “to protect our state.”
The outspoken Republican further emphasized that “no other state has done more to complement the U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts,” calling the current defense line “under-resourced.”
He bracketed the latter claim a week after the U.S. Coast Guard repatriated 65 Haitian asylum seekers after their ship was spotted in distress.
“We cannot allow illegal aliens to come to Florida,” he concluded.
Another 39 officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 30 from Florida Highway Patrol and 23 from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will also join, as well as aircraft and drones and eight boats. Pictured: Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday
The announcement comes a week after the US Coast Guard repatriated 65 Haitian asylum seekers after their ship (pictured) was spotted in distress.
“We cannot allow illegal aliens to come to Florida,” DeSantis concluded Wednesday, claiming that current Coast Guard defenses along the state’s southern coast are “under-resourced.” In the photo: dispossessed people walk through a street in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday
He bracketed this last claim as scores of Haitians caught in the gangs’ crossfire continue to struggle for survival.
The violence continued on Tuesday even after Haiti’s prime minister resigned – at the request of the gangs carrying out the violence
Politicians across the region are still searching for a solution as dogs gnaw on the unaddressed dead and bodies are burned in the streets.
The conservative governor issued the edict on Wednesday as unrest in the Caribbean country continued for a second week
The group was determined to rally support for a Kenyan-led foreign police intervention that they said would have restored order enough that a new round of elections could be held, killing anyone who stood in their way.
Officials did not name a replacement for the world leader on Monday, saying only that CARICOM is now taking on the task of meeting the “immediate needs” of the Haitian people.
The announcement came less than a day after Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry was forced to resign following an emergency summit convened to address the gang-led violence currently taking place in the country.
The 74-year-old head of state resigned a week after the growing coalition of gangs warned of civil war if he did not step down.
His resignation was quickly confirmed by Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the current chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The coalition called the emergency meeting as gangs in the Caribbean country continue to unite, targeting government buildings and foreign embassies – killing many innocents caught in the crossfire.
As a result, thousands have fled their homes, and locals continue to report the overwhelming stench of the dead. Meanwhile, pgPoliticians across the region are looking for a solution – a solution that may now be in sight after Henry’s removal.
“We recognize his resignation following the establishment of a presidential transition council and the appointment of an interim prime minister,” Ali said, thanking Henry – who came to power unelected after the assassination of Haiti’s previous president – for his services.
The decision, said to have been taken on Friday, came shortly before the US deployed Marines to evacuate its embassy as gangs led by former police officer Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier continued to attack state institutions.
Henry is currently still unable to return home as he has been stranded in Puerto Rico since Tuesday after officials deemed it unsafe for him to land in the neighboring Dominican Republic.
On Saturday, Dominican President Luis Abinader’s office issued a statement explaining the decision: “Henry is not welcome in the Dominican Republic for security reasons.”
That decision came shortly after another, bringing the Caribbean nation close its land border with its embattled neighbor, seemingly leaving the other side of Hispaniola to its fate.
