A crisis is unfolding in the Florida Keys as hundreds of migrants continue to arrive in small boats, prompting local authorities to describe the situation as a serious problem.
Under Biden, fiscal year 2022 saw 2.76 million illegal immigrant border crossings. The Biden administration and Democrats are also pushing for citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.
To deal with the influx of migrants, Florida officials have set up a tent city in the Upper Florida Keys near mile marker 88.5 in the Village of Islamorada, according to The Miami Herald.
This makeshift complex comprises more than a dozen trailers, a large air-conditioned tent, portable bathrooms, and laundry facilities.
However, the tent city is reportedly not intended for migrants, but rather for state law enforcement officers who were sent to the Florida Keys last month as part of Governor Ron DeSantis’ executive order to address the issue of migrant landings in the Keys.
The “Base Camp,” as the facility is known, is meant to be a storage and housing/laundry facility for the National Guard and Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) officers who were reassigned to the area due to the State of Emergency declared in response to the migrant landings.
Monroe County’s Director of Emergency Management, Shannon Weiner, stated that the camp was necessary because the added police officers and other personnel who were temporarily reassigned to the Keys were staying in hotel rooms, which are now required for tourists since the island chain is in the midst of its busy tourist season.
Kristen Livengood, a Monroe County spokesperson, revealed that the county’s Tourist Development Council reports that hotel capacity is nearly at 100%.
The camp was also opened when Governor DeSantis’ Jan 5 executive order was set to expire in a little over two weeks.
According to Alecia Collins, Communications Director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the contract for the base camp is with AshBritt Environmental, a Deerfield Beach disaster relief company known for receiving significant government contracts following natural disasters, including after Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Collins further stated that the “current contract is for $2.1 million for 30 days, including mobilization and demobilization.”
