Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
the republican senator marco rubioof Floridarequested on Thursday the support of the federal government to address the immigration crisis that has arisen in the keys of that state due to the massive arrival of more than 1,000 undocumented immigrants in a few days.
In a letter addressed to Alejandro Mayorkas, head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Rubio specifies that “since December 30, 2022, at least 500 Cubans and more than 200 Haitians have arrived by sea in the Florida Keys, overwhelming local resources”.
Rubio, of Cuban origin, refers in his letter to the closure of the Dry Tortugas National Park, a remote island in the Gulf of Mexico, due to the arrival of 364 migrants, many of them Cubans, last weekend.
“A worsening humanitarian crisis continues to unfold, one that the Biden Administration largely ignores,” Rubio writes in his letter dated today, the same day that President Joe Biden warned about the expulsion of migrants who enter irregularly. to the country.
“This situation is the predictable result of this administration’s open border policies, where migrants are risking their lives in makeshift boats as a result. That message has been complemented by lax border security measures and weak enforcement of our immigration laws,” the senator said.
President Joe Biden assured this Thursday that Mexico has agreed to admit 30,000 immigrants a month from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti who are expelled from US territory for crossing the border irregularly.
This agreement is part of the announcement made this Thursday by the United States government to include Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Haitians in the immigration program applied to Venezuelans until now.
“My message is this: If you are trying to leave Cuba, Nicaragua or Haiti, do not show up at the border. Stay where you are and apply legally,” Biden said.
However, the announcement, which was made by DHS, does not detail the situation of Cubans and Haitians who arrive by sea in precarious boats, and which, according to Rubio, have overwhelmed Florida’s resources.
The arrival of more than 200 Haitian & 500 Cuban migrants on makeshift boats over the last 6 days has forced the closure of a national park & overwhelmed local authorities in the #FloridaKeys
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 5, 2023
Massive arrival of immigrants by sea
The massive arrival of undocumented immigrants on boats to South Florida is causing a humanitarian crisis which has forced the authorities to channel resources to attend to at least 690 who arrived only between last Friday and Monday to the Keys, according to federal authorities.
To these immigrants are added some 606 more who have been intercepted at sea by immigration authorities, according to figures released by the Southeast Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF-SE).
The arrival of 364 migrants over the weekend at the Dry Tortugas National Park forced its temporary closure in the middle of the holiday season in order to facilitate the rescue efforts of these people stranded on the islets.
The immigrants, mostly Cubans and Haitians, have arrived in multiple and precarious boats to various islands in the Florida Keys archipelago, in Monroe County, in the southern tip of the United States.
“When migrants arrive, state governments, local communities, and other first responders must dedicate valuable time, work, and resources to provide medical care, personnel processing, and other critical spaces to care for hundreds of unannounced and unannounced migrants. they demand immediate attention”, explains Rubio.
In his letter, The senator summons Mayorkas with several questions related to the massive wave of immigration that South Florida is experiencing, and among them, it specifies whether the current Administration has implemented any strategy to address it.
It also asks you to “identify” whether, within the new immigration protocols announced for Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua, there are “specific measures that will provide additional support to overwhelmed communities in Florida and reduce similar maritime landings in the future.”
“This administration can no longer afford to abdicate its role,” said Senator Rubio.
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