State and local law enforcers deployed to assist at Mexican border
On June 16th in Pensacola, Governor Ron DeSantis expressed his support for initiatives in Texas and Arizona to tackle the US-Mexico border crisis, promising that law enforcement officers from Florida will be deployed to assist on the ground in those states.
DeSantis was apparently responding to a call put out by fellow Republican Governors Doug Ducey of Arizona and Greg Abbott of Texas who had written to other state governors requesting help in tackling the issue:
Source: Twitter
In addition to tackling the problem by deploying law enforcement officers on the ground, Governor Abbott has recently announced renewed initiatives to build a wall along the border with Mexico, later revealing his intention to fund the wall in part by public donations - as at June 23rd around $400,000 was reported to have been raised.
Will the crisis be resolved by tact or aggression?
The border crisis is significant and one that demands appropriate action if it is ever to be resolved. The BBC reported on June 10th that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had captured 180,034 migrants, mostly single adults, in May. The number of undocumented migrants reaching the US-Mexico border has hit the highest level in more than 20 years. Without clear and decisive action this will become an ever-bigger problem, particularly for Americans living in the southern border states.
The same goes for Abbott removing licenses for state childcare facilities found to be housing migrant children in a move to somehow penalize those who have breached the border already. That particular move was described by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a "direct attack" on the effort to rehome federal migrant children. Over 8,500 children are currently housed in 52 such facilities in Texas and could be at risk as a result of his decision.
Vice President Kamala Harris has been appointed by President Biden as a Border Czar, tasked with addressing the crisis. Her political aides have pointed out that her official remit is to lead the diplomatic outreach to Central American countries to address the root causes of migration rather than merely trying to blockade those trying to cross the border or physically apprehend or intimidate them.
Can Florida spare the law enforcement officers?
A further question surely arises in the minds of Florida's citizens - is it appropriate use of their law enforcement officers, funded from Florida tax dollars to send them to address the problems faced by Texas and Arizona?
A recent survey of crime rates in Florida in 2020 was published on June 21st and revealed that while property crimes in the state decreased in 2020 by 17%, the number of violent crimes increased significantly, by 17%. The number of murders in the state increased by 165 over 2019 with 1,285 people murdered in Florida in 2020. 80% of these crimes were committed using firearms. 38% of the 5000 aggravated assaults committed in the state also involved a gun.
Considered against these statistics, it seems relevant to consider whether Governor DeSantis should be quite so generous in sending Floridian law enforcers to tackle problems at the Mexican border when the safety of his own citizens is at stake. The effects of this decision on crime rates in the state may emerge in coming weeks.
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