In a move that has angered many Republican-led states, the Biden administration has recently enacted a program that will allow tens of thousands of migrants into the U.S. per month. The program, known as the “humanitarian parole program,” has been roundly criticized by many as being too lax, and as a result, 19 Republican-led states, including Florida, have filed a lawsuit against the federal government in an attempt to block the program.
Florida’s Attorney General, Ashley Moody, has been particularly vocal in her opposition to the program and has warned of the potential burden that it could put on both taxpayers and law enforcement in the state. “We will spend over $100 million incarcerating those here illegally that are committing crimes against Floridians,” she said. “Not to mention our educational and health care system costs. So we’ve had to show that in court already.”
Moody also warned of the potential dangers that the influx of migrants could bring, including an increase in the fentanyl crisis. “It’s our law enforcement who are desperately trying to keep pace with a rush of fentanyl,” she said. “Just this fiscal year in 2023, we’ve already seized enough fentanyl at the border to kill the entire U.S. population three times over.”
The issue of illegal immigration and migrant arrivals has become particularly acute in Florida, as hundreds of migrants from Haiti and Cuba have landed on the state’s shores in recent weeks. This has prompted Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay to criticize the federal response to the “mass migration crisis,” saying that the U.S. Coast Guard is “overwhelmed” and does not have the resources to track all the vessels that are coming in.
The Biden administration has argued that their new immigration strategy will “substantially” reduce border crossings. However, Moody has dismissed this argument as being “laughable,” vowing that states will continue to fight back against a Biden agenda that will “increase an already chaotic, unsafe situation at our border.”
It remains to be seen how the court case will play out and whether or not the Biden administration’s program will be blocked. However, it is clear that there is significant opposition to the program from many Republican-led states, and it is unlikely that the issue will be resolved any time soon.
