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Ron DeSantis: Trump won’t send undocumented immigrants to South Florida

Gov. DeSantis said Sunday that he spoke to the president, who disputed reports that a plan to send migrants to two Democratic counties in Florida had ever been authorized.
 
Gov.elect Ron DeSantis (left) talks with President Donald Trump during a meeting with newly elected governors in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Dec. 13. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Gov.elect Ron DeSantis (left) talks with President Donald Trump during a meeting with newly elected governors in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Dec. 13. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Published May 20, 2019

Planeloads of migrants will not be coming to South Florida, according to the governor.

Sunday’s confirmation came days after leaders in Broward and Palm Beach counties reacted with alarm after they said they were told by Customs and Border Patrol officials that 1,000 migrants will be sent to the region every month in order to alleviate a surge at the Mexican border.

The next day, on Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection moved to downplay the possibility that planes filled with border-crossing families will begin touching down.

The agency told reporters that there are no imminent plans to send thousands of undocumented immigrants to South Florida, as of now, but said families were being moved to Del Rio Texas and San Diego.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office confirmed Sunday that President Donald Trump said it wouldn’t be happening.

“I can confirm that Governor DeSantis and President Trump spoke [Friday] afternoon,” a spokeswoman for the governor said. “President Trump told Governor DeSantis that illegal immigrants would not be sent to Florida. President Trump said he did not approve of such a plan and would not authorize it. Governor DeSantis was never notified by federal authorities that such a plan was in place.”

Late last week, DeSantis blamed the controversy on federal immigration policy coming from Congress.

“We cannot accommodate in Florida the dumping of unlawful migrants into our state. It will tax our resources, our schools, the healthcare, law enforcement, state agencies,” DeSantis said Friday, noting that the Legislature just passed a law banning so-called “sanctuary cities.”

“We’ve been very cooperative and to have this then put into certain communities here,” he said. "I think it’s just something that we don’t ...” he said, pivoting quickly to a new point without finishing the thought.

This story was written by Miami Herald staff writer Monique O. Madan.