National Park Closed After Hundreds of Illegal Immigrants Arrive on US Coast
A Florida sheriff criticized the federal government after nearly 500 illegal immigrants landed in the Florida Keys over the course of the weekend.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay’s office described the situation as a “federal failure” because it was told the U.S. Border Patrol couldn’t immediately respond due to a lack of federal resources.
More than 100 Haitians land in Key Largo, just a day after Cuban migrants’ arrival https://t.co/t3nSwBwteh
— Jacqueline Charles (@Jacquiecharles) January 3, 2023
Hundreds of illegal immigrant landings took place between Saturday and Monday, causing the Dry Tortugas National Park to shut down.
During the past 72 hours, #BorderPatrol agents have responded to a high volume of migrant landings in the #FloridaKeys. There is an increased presence of law enforcement & first responders in the area. We appreciate the ongoing support from all of our LE partners. #news pic.twitter.com/Q4wK4YOBO6
— Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar (@USBPChiefMIP) January 2, 2023
“Refugee arrivals require a lot of resources from the Sheriff’s Office as we help our federal law enforcement partners ensure the migrants are in good health and safe,” Ramsay said in the Facebook post. “Residents may see an increased amount of law enforcement and emergency responders throughout the county as we continue to respond to these landings.”
“This shows a lack of a working plan by the federal government to deal with a mass migration issue that was foreseeable,” he added.
NEW RELEASE: Dry Tortugas National Park will temporarily close to the public on January 2 at 8 am while law enforcement & medical personnel evaluate, provide care for & coordinate transport to Key West for approximately 300 migrants who arrived in the park in the past couple days pic.twitter.com/5UiJ1vP2Lc
— Dry Tortugas National Park (@DryTortugasNPS) January 1, 2023
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has encountered record surges in illegal immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, with more than 2.3 million in fiscal 2022.
The situation off the coastal border also has worsened, with federal border authorities in Florida encountering more than 35,000 migrants, nearly double what they saw in fiscal 2021.
Republicans and even some Democrats have criticized the federal government’s response to the influx at the southern border.
Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar recently called on President Joe Biden to visit the southern border, saying he’s been “avoiding” the “important” issue. Biden only drove by the El Paso, Texas, border in 2008.
“If there’s a crisis, show up. Just show up. I think part of the battle is if he just shows up and says I’m hoping to work on this and on this. Just showing up at the border would send a strong signal to the communities that he’s there, he cares about the border communities. Just show up, it doesn’t take much to just show up at the border,” Cuellar said.
On the other side of the aisle, dozens of House Republicans introduced their own border security plan recently to step in where they say the federal government has failed to take action.
“We will not stand by while the Biden Administration knowingly pushes disastrous policies with complete disregard for what our state and country are enduring,” they said.
CBP didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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