WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — U.S. Border Patrol will begin transporting more than 1,000 migrants a month to South Florida — split between Palm Beach and Broward counties — from the southern border within two weeks, according to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and sheriffs from both counties.
Rubio was first to reveal the plans Thursday afternoon on Twitter. The sheriffs — Ric Bradshaw in Palm Beach County and Gregory Tony in Broward County — then announced they have been told to each expect 135 migrants seeking asylum to be flown into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport every week.
“Unlawful arrivals are overwhelming our system,” Rubio tweeted. “Now I have just been informed by Palm Beach sheriff that starting next week Border Patrol will begin transporting 500 migrants a month from border to Broward & Palm Beach Florida & releasing them pending an asylum hearing.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, has offices in Dania Beach and the Port of Palm Beach. Border Patrol will process them and release them into the custody of the sheriff.
“There’s a mass migration plan for the county but this is not designed to handle overflow from elsewhere,” Bradshaw said at a hastily called news conference.
Bradshaw described the situation as a “danger to this community and it’s going to put a real strain on the resources.”
The sheriff described the program as “catch and release,” adding it “isn’t right” and he hopes plans change.
“To take this type of influx of illegal immigrants from another location and to bring them to Palm Beach County is not only a public safety problem, because we don’t what know the backgrounds on these people are, we don’t know what documentation the Border Patrol has to identify who they are or what their criminal background is, if any. And they’re just going to walk into the community.”
Bradshaw said he learned about the federal government’s plans earlier this week and has been told to expect the arrivals to begin in two weeks with no “end date” given.
Why are they coming to Florida?
Some of those held at the border with Texas mentioned Florida as their final destination, Bradshaw said.
Shortly after Rubio’s tweet, Broward County said in a news release that officials will be transporting the migrants “to alleviate the highly publicized problems at the U.S.-Mexico border.”
Broward Mayor Mark Bogen said there has been no designated shelters or funding to house them, feed them and keep them safe.
“This is a humanitarian crisis. We will do everything possible to help these people. If the president will not provide us with financial assistance to house and feed these people, he will be creating a homeless encampment,” Bogen said.
Broward County plans to ask all charities, nonprofits, businesses and other resources to try to help the migrants.
“This is irresponsible policy. To bring hundreds of people here every week without providing the necessary resources to house and feed them is inhumane,” Bogen said. “Although our commission has not had the chance to address this issue, in my opinion, the people that we can’t find shelter for, and will become homeless, I would suggest that we bring them to the Trump hotels and ask the president to open his heart and home as well.”
President Donald Trump has threatened people who cross the border seeking asylum to be transported to communities that are considered immigrant friendly.
Broward County is not a “sanctuary city” and the Florida Senate passed a bill this year banning such communities in the state. “Sanctuary cities” protect undocumented immigrants from deportation or prosecution, despite federal immigration law.
“The Trump administration provided no information about this alleged proposal to members of Congress representing Broward or Palm Beach counties,” U.S. Rep. Debra Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. “My colleagues and I representing Broward County and Palm Beach County have requested more information from DHS.”