Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Plan for Migrants

Background: 

Southern states trying to tackle the large influx of migrants coming through the U.S.-Mexico border. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis-R sees this as an opportunity to expel migrants to blue states. Recently, he used Florida state funding to fly migrants from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. He now is facing a class-action lawsuit filed by the migrants. [1]

The Details: 

The Florida legislature signed a bill that will most likely be signed into law by Governor DeSantis. The law will mandate that migrants be transported to blue states. On January 6, 2023 Governor DeSantis signed an executive order that deployed the National Guard to the Florida Keys to quell the influx of migrants. [2]

Implications: 

This law will face some legal challenges since it only declares that money in the budget will only be used to help transport migrants out of Texas. Also, the D.C. attorney has launched an investigation to evaluate the ethicalness of the law. Many activists say that DeSantis’ actions are dehumanizing towards migrants. [1] Governor DeSantis has left many immigrants without proper food, water, and shelter. These are basic necessities that every migrant deserves.

Conclusions: 

Governor DeSantis’ actions show how ill-equipped the U.S. is to manage migrants from the U.S.-Mexican border. Thus, effective legislation is needed and perhaps, President Biden should take a more active role in this situation.