(The Hill) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued a statement on Wednesday telling migrants who were put on a bus in Texas and sent to Washington, D.C., that they should not try to travel to Florida, after some of the migrants reportedly said they hoped to make their way to Miami.
“To those who have entered the country illegally, fair warning: do not come to Florida. Life will not be easy for you, because we are obligated to uphold the immigration laws of this country, even if our federal government and other states won’t,” DeSantis’s office told Fox News.
The warning comes the same day Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) followed through on a threat to bus migrants to D.C. in protest of the Biden administration halting Title 42, a Trump-era policy that allowed for the expulsion of migrants at the border for health-related reasons.
Some migrants told news outlets they would not be staying in the D.C., with one person telling Newsmax their final destination is Miami. The Daily Beast spoke to 11 migrants, who said they hoped to end up in Miami and New York City.
“Florida is not a sanctuary state, and our social programs are designed to serve the citizens of our state,” DeSantis’s statement said, according to Fox News.
“If you have come here illegally, you have been done a great disservice by the Biden Administration. They have encouraged you to make dangerous treks, oftentimes at great physical distress to you and your family. Sometimes, this has even meant putting your fate into the hands of dangerous coyotes and human traffickers,” it added.
The Hill has reached out to DeSantis’s office for comment.
Abbott has said more buses with migrants will be sent to D.C., while the Biden administration has called his actions a “publicity stunt.”