News / Politics

Florida sues Biden administration over immigration

Tuesday, 28 September 2021 10:36 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 28 September 2021 10:36 PM ]

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during an event on August 10, 2021 in Surfside, Florida. (AFP photo)

The US state of Florida has filed a lawsuit against the administration of President Joe Biden over transportation of “illegal aliens.”

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an order to prevent state agencies from helping with the relocation of undocumented immigrants.

DeSantis' order authorized the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol “to detain any aircraft, bus, or other vehicle within the State of Florida reasonably believed to be transporting illegal aliens to Florida from the Southwest Border”

The lawsuit was filed amid criticism against the Biden administration both by Republicans and Democrats over how it is handling immigration, including the inhumane treatment of Haitian refugee and asylum seekers.

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The agencies are, therefore, required to gather information on the identities of any immigrants. They are also stripped of permission to spend money to assist immigrants.

“While some arriving migrants have legitimate asylum claims, many do not. Some are gang members and drug traffickers exploiting the crisis at the border, as evidenced by the skyrocketing amount of Fentanyl seized at the border this year,” read the suit.

Attorney General Ashley Moody also argued that Biden’s immigration policy is in favor of criminal cartels, smuggling humans across the southern border.

“President Biden is aiding and abetting criminal cartels,” Moody said.

The Biden administration is yet to give a tangible stance towards the lawsuit.

“Any Republican or any member who wants to have a constructive conversation about solutions to addressing what we all agree is not a long-term sustainable operational or moral approach to immigration, we're happy to have that conversation,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

The move drew criticism from Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani, who suggested that that it is a political game designed to establish support from conservative voters.

“He is completely bonkers and just wants to distract everyday people from real life issues,” she said. “We have an affordable housing crisis, we have climate change to worry about, we have folks that can't find a good paying job. There's so many issues around us and this is what he chooses.”

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