Florida governor Ron DeSantis has warned the illegal migrants stranded in Washington DC against travelling to his state after they expressed such an intent. DeSantis cautioned them that they will find no easy life in Florida and condemned the Biden administration for prompting their illegal immigration into the US in the first place.
"To those who have entered the country illegally, fair warning: do not come to Florida. Life will not be easy for you, because we are obligated to uphold the immigration laws of this country, even if our federal government and other states won’t," he said.
DeSantis argued that the Biden administration subjected the migrants to a significant risk by creating an illusion that they can easily enter the US. The governor called out a "great disservice" done to migrants by the federal government.
"They have encouraged you to make dangerous treks, oftentimes at great physical distress to you and your family. Sometimes, this has even meant putting your fate into the hands of dangerous coyotes and human traffickers," DeSantis said.
The governor went on to stress that Florida is "not a sanctuary state" and that its social programmes were designed to be enjoyed by its citizens and no one else. He called on those considering crossing the US border to do it the legal way, pointing out that obtaining full American citizenship is an "essential part of the promise of America".
DeSantis delivered his warning after a group of 23 migrants in Washington DC told Fox News reporters they were planning to travel to Florida. These migrants were delivered to the capital on a bus from Texas as a part of its Governor Greg Abbott's protest against the Biden administration lax immigration policy and reluctance to deal with the influx of migrants that the southern border has been experiencing since 2021.
The first group of migrants was delivered to Washington DC on 13 April and another one arrived on 14 April. Both of them were unloaded few blocks away from the US Capitol, had their tracking wristbands cut off and set free. They had previously been detained in Texas after crossing the border illegally.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the administration was not concerned with the way Abbott is expressing his protest and on the contrary thanked Texas for helping the migrants "get to their final destination". She recalled that all of the migrants had been processed by the Customs and Border Protection and were free to traverse the country as they wait for the decision on their asylum application.
The spokeswoman made no mention of the issue that approximately half of applicants for the asylum do not show up for the final hearing on their case expecting a negative result and a deportation from the country, thus remaining in the US unaccounted for. The administration of Biden's predecessor, President Donald Trump, took a different stance – while migrants from most countries (with several exceptions) were allowed to apply for asylum, they had to wait for the decision outside the US in most cases.