Florida governor DeSantis claims 70% of migrants crossing in to Texas are heading to his state

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has claimed 70 percent of illegal immigrants crossing into the US are heading to his state, and blasted President Joe Biden’s immigration policy.

The governor’s comments came after he returned from a trip to the southern border in Texas, where he spoke to some of the 50 Florida law enforcement officials he sent there to assist with the border crisis. 

‘They’ve made over 2,000 apprehensions, over 100 felony arrests, and they say that almost 70% of everybody that they have interdicted said their ultimate destination was the state of Florida,’ DeSantis said. 

‘If you think that having a wide-open border, 1,000 miles, however far it was away doesn’t affect here, you’re wrong.’   

The statistics mentioned by DeSantis have not been confirmed. 

He has said he sent the Florida agents to Texas in June because the federal government was not doing enough to deal with the border crisis.

‘Where the federal government is failing, Texas is having to step up, and Florida and other states are helping’, DeSantis said in an appearance on Watters’ World on Saturday. 

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has claimed 70 percent of illegal immigrants crossing into the US are heading to his state 

DeSantis also claims the border crisis would 'turn around very quickly' if President Biden (pictured) reinstated the Trump-era policies he reversed by executive order once taking over office.

DeSantis also claims the border crisis would ‘turn around very quickly’ if President Biden (pictured) reinstated the Trump-era policies he reversed by executive order once taking over office. 

He added: ‘Most of the people that are Florida folks have admitted their ultimate destination is the state of Florida,’ he said. ‘So this has huge implications not just for our country as a whole, but states like my own where a lot of these folks are going to end up coming illegally.’ 

‘When they get turned over to the feds, what the feds are essentially doing is giving them a bus ticket and letting them go where they want to go,’ he added. ‘This has big implications for our schools, our social services, all of those other things,’ 

United States officials said on Friday that the number of migrants arriving at the southwestern border last month was the largest in years – a sign that the surge this year may extend into the hotter summer months, when numbers typically start dropping. 

Customs and Border Protection revealed that 188,829 migrants were stopped at the southwest border in June, the sixth monthly increase since the start of 2021.

It was also another increase on the 180,641 who were apprehended in May. 

The number of new migrants to arrive at the southern border since October is just slightly lower than the last surge in 2019 during the Trump administration, the agency said. 

It means that one million people have been apprehended since October. 

Customs and Border Protection revealed that 188,829 migrants were stopped at the southwest border in June

Customs and Border Protection revealed that 188,829 migrants were stopped at the southwest border in June

These statistics just account for the apprehensions, and doesn’t include the migrants who cross undetected.

According to reports, that is up to 1,500 additional people every day.

It is still not immediately clear where exactly these asylum seekers and illegal crossers are being sent after they are transferred out of federal immigration agencies’ custody.

The June numbers mean that analysts predict 2.3 million people could cross into the US by the end of 2021, if the pace of apprehensions and those who avoid detection remain the same. 

DeSantis claims the border crisis would ‘turn around very quickly’ if Biden reinstated Trump-era policies including the Migrant Protection Protocols, which required asylum seekers to remain in Mexico during their immigration proceedings. 

President Biden rescinded his predecessor’s policy shortly after entering office in January.

DeSantis called on the reinstatement of the Migrant Protection Protocols, which required asylum seekers to remain in Mexico during their immigration proceedings.

DeSantis called on the reinstatement of the Migrant Protection Protocols, which required asylum seekers to remain in Mexico during their immigration proceedings. 

Last week, Customs and Border Protection officials confirmed there were nearly 190,000 migrant encounters at the border in June

Last week, Customs and Border Protection officials confirmed there were nearly 190,000 migrant encounters at the border in June