May 20 (UPI) — Thousands of migrants who entered the country illegally will not be sent to Florida, the governor said Sunday.
“President Donald Trump and I spoke yesterday and confirmed that he did not approve, nor would approve, sending immigrants who illegally cross the border to Florida,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a tweet. “It is not going to happen.”
A spokesperson from his office also confirmed in an emailed statement that there were no plans by Trump to send migrants to Florida, South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
“Gov. DeSantis was never notified by federal authorities that such a plan was in place,” the spokesperson said.
The confirmations come after officials from Broward and Palm Beach counties announced Thursday they’d been informed earlier in the week by U.S. Border Patrol of a plan to send a combined 1,000 migrants to their communities every month from El Paso, which is one of several towns along the U.S border that has been dealing with what the Trump administration said is a “humanitarian crisis” as hundreds of thousands of migrants have been entering the country.
“It’s not a good plan, we think it’s a danger to this community and it’s going to put a real strain on what the resources are,” Palm Beach Country Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a press briefing announcing the plan.
The officials were told the first migrants would be brought to the counties within two weeks, he said.
Broward Mayor Mark Bogen called the plan “irresponsible policy” as it did not provide resources to house and feed them.
Despite not being a so-called sanctuary city, Broward would help those migrants brought to the county, Bogen said in a statement Thursday.
“If the president will not provide us with financial assistance to house and feed these people, he will be creating a homeless encampment,” he said.
Trump said Sunday that reports of the plan were “false” and that there were no plans to send migrants to coastal border facilities, including those in Florida.
“Not by airplanes or any other way,” he said in a tweet. “Our country is FULL, will not, and can not, take you in!”
On Saturday, Palm Beach Country Sheriff Ric Bradshaw announced on Twitter that U.S. Border Patrol had “backed off its initial plans” to transport migrants to South Florida, averting “a crisis for our community.”
Concerns of migrants being transported to so-called sanctuary cities began April 27, when Trump announced the plan during a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
“Last month alone, 100,000 illegal immigrants arrived at our borders, placing a massive strain on communities and schools and hospitals and public resources. Like nobody has ever seen before,” he said. “We are sending many of them through sanctuary cities.”
“They’re not too happy about it,” he said. “I’m proud to tell you that was actually my sick idea.”
