DeSantis signs order activating National Guard to help with migrants in Keys as Customs processes recent arrivals

DANIA BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed an executive order activating the Florida National Guard to provide support to local authorities in response to an influx of migrants coming ashore in the Florida Keys.

The governor’s office confirmed DeSantis signed Executive Order 23-03, in a news release issued Friday afternoon.

“I am activating the National Guard and directing state resources to help alleviate the strain on local resources,” said DeSantis in the release.

The release states Florida “will deploy air assets, including airplanes and helicopters from the Florida National Guard, and will bolster Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine patrol to support water interdictions and ensure the safety of migrants attempting to reach Florida through the Florida Straits.”

The announcement comes as Haitian migrants walked out of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in Dania Beach as family members waited outside.

“We said, ‘Thank God,’ for the long way, they make it here,” said family member Tony Alexandre.

Other family members are still waiting for word on their loved ones, hoping for answers.

Micael Alarcón pinned enlarged pictures of family members to his SUV.

“She’s my sister, Leyda, my brother Jorge, she’s a friend of us, Mailin, and he’s my brother-in-law,” he said as he pointed at four pictures.

Next to the picture of his brother-in-law, Alarcón attached a sign that reads in Spanish, “Have you seen them?”

Alarcón said his loved ones left Cuba on a boat on Dec. 30, and he hasn’t had any contact with them since.

“Yeah, it’s just scary, really scary, because even if you know about the sea, the sea is very betraying. You don’t know how dangerous the sea is,” he said.

In the last 24 hours, authorities said, 90 more Cuban migrants have come ashore in the Florida Keys on rustic and makeshift boats.

7News cameras on Thursday night captured more than half a dozen buses bringing migrants to CBP’s Dania Beach facility from the Keys.

Elizabeth Fórrales couldn’t contain her joy after she spotted her 18-year-old nephew on one of the buses.

“He had not told nobody that he was leaving the country,” she said. “The first thing I said, ‘Thank you, God, for letting him make it.’ Every day, we’ve been praying.”

Migrant landings in the Florida Keys have increased significantly, stretching limited resources in Monroe County.

“The good news is that the state has started to help us. They’re bringing down some highway patrolmen to help us out,” said Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi.

Since August, officials with the Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast said, 7,784 migrants have been intercepted at sea, and 4,401 migrants have been detained on land. From Dec. 30 to Monday, 606 migrants were captured at sea, with 812 making it to shore in the Keys.

Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

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