The Department of Homeland Security says that any illegal immigrants arriving by boat, including from Haiti, face “immediate repatriation” – amid brewing concerns about a potential migrant wave coming from the conflict-plagued country.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, DHS said it is “monitoring the situation in Haiti and coordinating closely with the State Department and international partners.”
The Caribbean nation has seen a significant escalation in violence as gangs have overrun the capital, burning police stations and attacking the main airport. Gangs have also raided some of the largest prisons, releasing thousands of inmates.
Masked members of “G9 and Family” gang stand guard during a press conference by their leader Barbecue in the Delmas 6 neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
The increased violence raises the possibility of a new wave of migrants coming from the country, both at the southern land border, where migrants surged into Del Rio in 2021 in the thousands, and by boat.
On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he is sending soldiers and officers, as well as aircraft and boats to “protect” the state from vessels carrying illegal immigrants.
“Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and seacraft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state,” he said.
In its statement, DHS stressed that migration flows through the Caribbean “remain low.”
“All irregular migration journeys, especially maritime routes, are extremely dangerous, unforgiving, and often result in loss of life. DHS will continue to enforce U.S. laws and policy throughout the Florida Straits and the Caribbean region,” a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also stressed that those caught at sea would be immediately returned.
A U.S. Coast Guard boat pulls up next to a sailboat containing approximately 150 migrants on July 21, 2022, in Islandia, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“U.S. policy is to return noncitizens who do not have a fear of persecution or torture or a legal basis to enter the United States. Those interdicted at sea are subject to immediate repatriation pursuant to our longstanding policy and procedures. The United States returns or repatriates migrants interdicted at sea to The Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.”
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 65 migrants were repatriated on Tuesday after the agency stopped a boat near the Bahamas. So far, the Coast Guard has repatriated 131 migrants this fiscal year.
The administration has said it is implementing “consequences” for illegal entry while expanding what it says are lawful migrant pathways. Haitians are also eligible for a controversial parole program that allows up to 30,000 nationals from Haiti, as well as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, to fly into the U.S. each month.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
On Tuesday, Rebecca Zimmerman, assistant secretary of defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, told lawmakers that the Pentagon is “alert” to the possibility of a mass migration event, but it has also not yet seen large numbers.
“I think you’re right that the driving conditions in Haiti could very well press more people,” she told Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. “We recently approved some additional assistance we could provide to the Coast Guard.”
Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.