(NewsNation) — As violent gangs have largely overtaken the island nation of Haiti, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., says Florida is bracing for a massive surge in Haitian migrants.
“Haiti is a failed state right now. The Biden administration officials I was speaking with couldn’t distinguish Haiti from a failed state,” Gaetz said on NewsNation’s “On Balance With Leland Vittert.” “And we know that is the No. 1 push factor that sends thousands of people into the Florida straits, onto Florida shores.”
Haiti’s prime minister has said he will resign, and a proposal to install new leadership appears to be crumbling,
The U.S. military carried out an operation to airlift nonessential embassy personnel from Haiti and added U.S. forces to bolster embassy security.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday he will be deploying over 250 state officers to secure the Florida border from potential migrants entering from Haiti.
Gaetz stressed the importance of maritime interdiction.
“If we interdict them at sea, we are able to pull right up to a dock at Port-au-Prince, as a consequence of our agreements there, let them out, and they are never part of the immigration system,” he said. “If they make it to shore, they’re able to claim that they fear their conditions in Haiti, they can seek asylum, and that further clogs that system.”
In a press release, Gaetz said the Biden administration is contemplating the use of the U.S. Navy to stop anticipated Haitian migration into Florida.
“I just don’t want Southeast Florida to become Haiti,” Gaetz said. “And what’s different about a lot of the Haitian migrants that show up is that they don’t disperse evenly throughout the country. They often stay in communities in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach counties. So that means a huge burden on our jails, on our hospitals, our school systems, and the violence that you see from some of these folks is horrendous.”