- 7 weeks ago
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announces a new crackdown on illegal immigration in Panama City, Florida.
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NewsTranscript
00:00A really star-studded cast of folks that are going to be speaking about today's announcement.
00:05We first have our Florida's Lieutenant Governor, our Green Beret, Jay Collins, is here with us.
00:11We've got Florida Department of Highway Safety Motor Vehicle, Executive Director Dave Koerner with us.
00:17Florida Department, the Colonel, Leader of the Florida Highway Patrol, Gary Howes, Larry Keefe, our Immigration Czar.
00:26We also have Keith Pearson, who was a former sheriff in southeast Florida and is now Department of Homeland Security Senior Counselor on State and Local Law Enforcement.
00:39And I want to thank everybody for being here.
00:42We're excited to be back in Bay County.
00:45You know, we now have people are starting to look forward to the football season.
00:49We're going to have a pretty big game in Tallahassee in about a week and a half.
00:53We're going to have not necessarily the program you want to see come into town if you are a Florida State fan, but Alabama is going to be coming to town.
01:02And I'm sure we have some Florida State fans in the crowd, right?
01:05Yeah.
01:06Do we have any Alabama fans in the crowd?
01:09No.
01:09Okay.
01:09Good.
01:11I guess you've got to go a little bit further west before you start getting those there.
01:16You know, it's interesting in the state you have – so, like, Miami fans are basically Miami.
01:22There's not really – I mean, like, you go there, that's it.
01:25Kind of Tampa Bay, Orlando, that's definitely UF, no question.
01:30Jacksonville's a little mixed.
01:31Then once you get over in this part, really, really strong FSU.
01:35So this will be important.
01:37My kids are really excited about it, and I know a lot of people will enjoy doing that.
01:43So a lot of Floridians hopefully will be able to enjoy that.
01:46I want to make a quick comment on – we got news last night that we had a judge try to upset the apple cart with respect to our deportation and detainee processing center down in South Florida at Alligator Alcatraz.
02:04I just wanted to just say this was not something that was unexpected.
02:08This is a judge that was not going to give us a fair shake.
02:11This was preordained, very much an activist judge that is trying to do policy from the bench.
02:19This is not going to deter us.
02:21We're going to continue working on the deportation.
02:24You don't.
02:24You have people that are in this country that have already been ordered to be removed by the current system, and yet the previous administration didn't want to do anything about it.
02:34We're now in this position where we're leading the state efforts to help the Trump administration actually enforce the law and actually remove these illegal aliens from not just Florida but from our country.
02:47And that's something that we didn't have for four years, and now that's something that we're absolutely on board with making sure happens going forward.
02:55And so we're not going to be deterred.
02:59We're totally in the right on this.
03:02But I would also note because of the success of Alligator Alcatraz, there's demand for more.
03:08So I did announce that we are going to be opening another facility right outside of Jacksonville in Baker County, and we've called that the deportation depot.
03:17And so that is something that we'll be able to hold another 2,000.
03:22There's an airport close by, and so you have the processing and then the removal, and you can get that working very, very quickly.
03:30There is no truth to the rumor that the Northeast Florida deportation depot is going to be used to detain unruly Georgia fans during the Florida Georgia.
03:39That's not true.
03:40Don't let anyone tell you that.
03:42I hear that percolating.
03:43That is not true.
03:44It is for illegal aliens, and that's what we're going to do.
03:48So we're committed to the mission.
03:50We're not going to be deterred.
03:52We see this happening all over the country.
03:54We knew the minute this judge got the case.
03:56We knew exactly what she was going to do.
03:58This is not anything that was unexpected, but we'll make sure to get the job done in the end.
04:04Now, we are here, and I'd also point out, and maybe the lieutenant governor will say a little bit more about it.
04:10So, you know, we had this illegal – some guy comes from India illegally.
04:17He ends up in California, of course, and gets a commercial driver's license.
04:22Now, first of all, he wasn't eligible for a commercial driver's license.
04:26Second of all, he doesn't speak or understand English.
04:28How are you going to operate some big rig when you don't understand the road signs?
04:34And so this guy got a commercial driver's license in Washington State and in California.
04:39Well, he's driving stuff in Florida and ends up trying to do a U-turn in the middle of the highway where they have the gaps for the highway patrol, official use only.
04:52And, of course, you can't just do that on a dime.
04:56And there's a car coming, and the car runs into the big rig, and three people are killed because this guy doesn't know the video you saw.
05:05And it's just like this guy had no – it didn't even phase him that this had happened.
05:10First of all, if I got into a wreck, you know, and didn't hit anybody, you know, that would be something that I'd be concerned about.
05:17Like, okay, did I try to do a U-turn or whatever?
05:19And then if there's any type of collision, aren't most people's first reaction to just be like, oh, man, I hope everyone's all right and to try – this guy didn't care.
05:28And so we did – we worked with the federal government.
05:33They were able to get him.
05:35The U.S. Marshals were able to, once the evidence came in, were able to detain him.
05:39We sent the lieutenant governor out to personally extradite him back to Florida yesterday.
05:46And so he is in Florida, and he is facing justice in Florida for those three deaths.
05:53But that's not enough.
05:55Yes, we'll hold him accountable, and he's going to potentially spend decades in prison.
06:00But why would a company – this is a California company – why would they put someone behind the wheel of one of those things
06:09when this guy can't even communicate and doesn't understand English?
06:14And so the Trump administration, I think, commendably, has already revoked the company's license to operate.
06:22And I think that's absolutely appropriate.
06:24We're going to be looking at what our remedies are, or maybe from the victim's family's remedies,
06:29against a company that didn't seem to care about public safety.
06:34But then you also have the issue of California.
06:38You know, we've talked about these – I mean, we've seen this on display, certainly since I've been governor.
06:43You see what has happened to Chicago.
06:46It's collapsed.
06:47What's happened to some of these places in California?
06:50You've got homeless everywhere.
06:51You've got, obviously, high taxes.
06:52You've got people leaving.
06:54New York City, I mean, as bad as that got under de Blasio, I'd say, you know, buckle your seatbelt.
06:59If this new guy gets in, I mean, it's going to be a total disaster, and it's a predictable outcome of leftist policies being put in place.
07:07And we contrast that.
07:09We criticize it.
07:10We say, hey, people are leaving your state and everything.
07:13But it's not just kind of a philosophical debate.
07:17Yeah, Florida, you know, people want to come here.
07:20We have low – we're doing all this stuff, low crime.
07:22And the reality is, is those sanctuary policies in California are spilling over, and they are impacting people around the country.
07:30And this is a great example of that happening.
07:33So, ultimately, we can do all the right things in Florida, and we'll continue to do it.
07:38But unless these sanctuary jurisdictions, like California, are reined in, you are going to continue to expose Americans and other states to the problems that flow from not caring about borders or not caring about the rule of law.
07:54So, I just wonder, like, in Congress, you know, we've got a Republican Congress.
07:59All these guys that run when they ask you for their vote, oh, I'm going to stop the – I'm going to be tough on – not one runs openly on being weak on immigration, right?
08:09Because they know they would lose if they did that.
08:11And so – but yet, they haven't defunded sanctuary states like California.
08:15They haven't defunded sanctuary cities.
08:18They could overhaul this whole bureaucracy that makes it harder to remove illegal aliens from this country.
08:27And then they haven't done it.
08:29So, I think, ultimately, they're going to have to step up to the plate.
08:32What happened in Florida is the predictable consequence of these sanctuary policies.
08:38But, you know, we as Floridians, we can't reach out and change California's policies.
08:45Like, that's beyond our capacity as a state government.
08:48You know, I have people, you know, saying, oh, we wish California was doing, you know, what you're doing.
08:52I was like, well, you've got to elect different people.
08:54I mean, ultimately, that's what you've got to do, and they haven't been willing to do that.
08:58So, I think it's going to continue.
09:00But there is ways to hold these rogue states accountable.
09:04And Congress has the power of the purse.
09:06Congress has the ability to regulate appropriately and certainly can help streamline the immigration operations that are being undertaken, both in Florida and with the Trump administration.
09:18So, I thank the Lieutenant Governor Collins for going out there, bringing him back.
09:23I know there's going to be really swift justice that's going to be administered.
09:27But this did not need to happen.
09:28This was totally avoidable.
09:31And it is the result of bad policies.
09:33Now, which brings us here today.
09:36We have recognized this issue as being something that's very important.
09:39I mean, I've been in northwest Florida talking about different things that we've done during the Biden border crisis.
09:45We sent people to the southern border.
09:47We were the first state to help Texas back in 2021 by sending folks to the southern border.
09:53We're also not a sanctuary state.
09:55You know, when I became governor, they had not banned sanctuary cities in Florida.
10:00We got that done.
10:00We banned sanctuary cities.
10:02We don't allow driver's license for illegal aliens in Florida.
10:08We don't recognize out-of-state driver's license like California issued to illegal aliens.
10:14We don't allow local governments to issue ID cards to illegal aliens.
10:20And we don't even allow NGOs to issue ID cards because they try to do this and try to get into all this.
10:27So we've been very strong on all of that stuff, as well as, you know, when I became governor, they gave in-state tuition for illegals.
10:36We got that repealed.
10:37So we've done a lot of really good stuff.
10:41But the reality is when Biden was in, it's like swimming upstream.
10:46You can make sure you have good policies.
10:48But if our highway patrol would stop somebody who's here illegally, Biden's people wouldn't do anything about it.
10:55They would just release them and let them go on their business.
10:59So there was really no interior enforcement.
11:01So when President Trump won election in November of 2024, we saw that as an opportunity to finally address this issue once and for all.
11:10And we may not get another chance to do it if we don't get the job done now.
11:15So we, at the beginning of this year, I called a special session of the Florida legislature.
11:19We needed to make sure that in the state of Florida, yeah, we're not a sanctuary state, but we want to be part of the solution.
11:26We're not just going to sit on our hands.
11:28We, because of that legislative push that I made, we are the only state in the country that requires all state and local law enforcement agencies to participate with DHS on immigration enforcement and removal operations.
11:43And that's made a huge difference.
11:45We've now set the standard.
11:46Other states are now following suit, not just on the detention and processing, like got a lot of news with Alligator Alcatraz, but so many other things that we're doing.
11:57And the Florida Highway Patrol has really been a huge part of that effort.
12:02I believe they were the first agency in the entire country to execute a 287G agreement with the Department of Homeland Security.
12:11It's just, it's a, it's a bureaucratic term that basically the federal government is blessing the state and local law enforcement officers with the ability to participate in immigration enforcement.
12:24So under Biden, if our highway patrol pulled over someone who was here illegally driving drunk, whatever they did in the, in the criminal system here, they could do.
12:33But if they wanted to transport for, for a deportation, they weren't allowed to do that.
12:38ICE wouldn't recognize it.
12:40Well, now with these agreements, they can do that.
12:43They can be part of the solution.
12:45So we're really glad that we were able to do that.
12:49And so we've really led the way on all of that stuff.
12:51We have done a lot of different operations over these many months now, and we've had a tremendous amount of success.
13:01And we're going to continue to be somebody that, that, that, that, that can be counted on by the Trump administration to, to bring about positive resolution to a border issue and immigration issue that has been constantly an issue for, for many, many decades.
13:19So, um, today, uh, we are highlighting yet another major enforcement effort, uh, this week, a first of its kind immigration enforcement operations started in Florida's panhandle led by the Florida highway patrol in coordination with our federal partners, um, including DHS, uh, agencies like border patrol, uh, HSI and ICE.
13:44The panhandle immigration enforcement operation is part of a comprehensive multi-agency enforcement detail targeting illegal aliens with criminal records, fugitives, and repeat immigration violators.
13:57We deployed 45, we deployed 45 FHP troopers and 20 federal personnel across Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton, Okaloosa, Holmes Bay, Washington, and Jackson counties.
14:10Although the operation is still underway, nearly 200 illegal aliens have already been apprehended, apprehended with expectations that the final total will even be higher, uh, by the end of today's operations.
14:24Among those arrested 37 illegals that had previously received final orders of removal and yet failed to appear in court, eight illegals that had been deported and illegally reentered the United States, one of which has been deported four times, just like a revolving door.
14:47These individuals will be federally charged. Troopers have encountered illegals who have fled, resisted arrests, and even physically assaulted officers underscoring the heightened danger posed by criminal aliens.
15:02We're going to continue to face escalating attempt by criminal aliens to infiltrate our communities, posing a threat, uh, to the safety of not only our citizens, but also our many, many visitors.
15:14So this operation sends a clear and uncompromising message. We will not tolerate lawlessness in the state of Florida. We're going to continue to deploy every available resource to identify, apprehend, and remove those who seek to exploit our state, uh, and to endanger our people.
15:30While while while some states simply, uh, watch and wait, Florida leads our commitment to efficiency and accountability is why Florida continues to remain the national model.
15:42And just last week, Florida marked another milestone in partnership with ice and the U S coast guard. We launched the first deportation flight out of Tallahassee airport, uh, transporting nearly 20 illegal aliens in an operation that is going to continue each and every week.
16:00This operation reflects our expanding coordination with federal partners and reinforces our mission to secure the interior of this country and to protect our communities.
16:11Since March, FHP has vetted nearly 4,700 individuals through U S department of Homeland security databases of those more than 3,600 have been arrested.
16:24And process for immigration violations and process for immigration violations and more than 600 had prior criminal history.
16:33FHP has uncovered human smuggling operations operating deep within Florida's borders and troopers have intercepted vehicles, transporting illegal firearms, fentanyl, uh, and even large sums of illicit cash.
16:45Recent arrests include individuals involved in drug trafficking, weapons violations, and gang related activity. So this is real. This stuff has a major impact on the safety of our communities.
16:57And it also serves as a deterrent effect. You know, there was a story, even CNN was talking about it, you know, months ago. There are these illegal alien theft gangs, like theft rings, and you know, they steal stuff in New York.
17:11And then they come down to Florida and spend the money at our, at our attractions. Uh, and then they go back to New York and steal more. And the reporter said, well, why don't you steal in Florida?
17:23They said, because they put you in jail in Florida when you steal. So that's a deterrent. And I think what we're doing here is a deterrent. Uh, people know, first of all, you shouldn't be coming to the United States illegally.
17:34Uh, but, um, those that do, I think are probably not going to want to choose, uh, the free state of Florida. So I'm proud of FHP. Uh, I want to thank, uh, both the Colonel and, uh, the director and Larry Key for all the hard work, uh, they've done to be putting in, uh, to this.
17:51I want to thank our federal partners for really showing how it can be done when you have really strong state and federal partnership on an issue. That's very much of, of major concern for so many Americans.
18:02I'm also thank, want to thank the Lieutenant Governor. So some of you may not have, have seen, uh, but it was last week. Yeah, it's only only been a week last week. Um, uh, I appointed, uh, he was then a Senator Jay Collins to be our Lieutenant Governor.
18:17We had had, uh, Jeanette Nunez was our, was my, uh, uh, ticket made in 18 and in 22. Uh, she got the president, uh, presidency at university, Florida International University down in Miami, which is, uh,
18:32um, you know, great school, um, obviously got a, got a better pay deal than as you, as Lieutenant Governor. Um, and so she went to take that position. So I had the appointment to make and, um, you know, Jay Collins is a unique guy because, you know, he served our country for 23 years in uniform as a green beret. Uh, he was involved in, um, all kinds of, uh, special operations activity and, and very, and many thorny places. You know, he's been decorated with bronze star, Legion of Merit, uh, purple
19:02heart because he's been wounded in action. Uh, but one of the unique things about him is he actually, um, you know, ended up even losing his leg and rather than take a medical retirement, uh, he became the first person in the history of the green berets to requalify as a green beret with a prosthetic leg. Uh, not many people would be able to do that. And I recruited him to run for Senate years ago, uh, in a district in Tampa, which had been a Democrat
19:32senator. And, um, you know, I, I knew he could do it because he's got a great story. He's got, he's been, uh, serving the country and his community in admirable ways. And he was able to win that and beat a Democrat, entrenched Democrat incumbent by double digits. And so that's really shut. Cause I think people saw like this guy's the real deal. Uh, when he's not doing, when he wasn't doing his Senator duties, he was, uh, uh, leading charities that would respond after disasters, like our hurricanes that we had here, Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Helene,
20:02probably Hurricane Michael back in the day, uh, when, when he was there for that. Uh, and that's being there immediately and helping people who need help stabilize, helping the first responders with meals and other things that they need. Uh, and even recently when, uh, the Iran-Israel conflict broke out and the rockets are raining down, we had a lot of Floridians that were over there. We had people that were students that were studying over there. So a lot of people were really worried, uh,
20:32uh, and we've helped in these situations in the past. So of course they, they call us. And so I authorized rescue missions out of Israel and we ended up getting thousands of people out of Israel. We flew many back to Florida from Cyprus. Uh, but then Senator Collins was on, he flew to Israel himself. He's on the ground and he's personally rescuing people in the midst of the Iranian barrage. And so that to me, you know, shows that you're somebody, uh, that puts service above self.
21:02That's why that I have dubbed him, uh, the Chuck Norris of Florida politics. And so you guys have a Lieutenant governor you can be proud of, and he's going to come up and say a few words.
21:19First off, thank you. It's great to be here today. And it's kind of hard to live up to that introduction. Thank you, governor. So I'm going to summarize all that. All right.
21:26And I was just in California as the governor mentioned. Uh, so I'm going to put it in, in terms that they'll understand as well, because I think there's a few hurt feelings reports from what I said out there. Uh, I don't identify as a politician. I identify as a God fearing gun, loving freedom, defending bacon, eating one legged retired green beret. So that's it. That's the top line. But, uh, you know, thank you.
21:47Thank you. We all have bacon.
21:53So what an incredible opportunity to talk about something that matters. First off, our law enforcement guys, thank you for what you do. Thank you for your hard work, your dedication to the community, how you lead, what you do. We cannot thank you enough.
22:05Uh, what you've done, uh, often in other states has been maligned and punished. We will never do that here. We are going to stand and back our Leo. We're going to be there day in day night and twice on Sunday. That's a promise and a guarantee. So with immigration, you look at what's happened around our country. We know that no state is not a border state, right?
22:25Everybody's open. No matter what we have a governor in California, Gavin Newsom, not really sure what he's doing. There's a lot of tweets, uh, some memes, some, uh, you know, digital photos of himself, things like that going on on the internet while his borders open. People are pouring across it. Fentanyl, uh, illegal immigrants, terrorists coming across the border, putting American lives at risk. It's unacceptable. We know it's not right. In fact, it's inherently wrong. When you talk about illegal immigration, what does he want to talk about? He wants to talk about rights for illegal immigrants.
22:54He wants to take care of them, but we don't do that crap here in Florida, right? We don't. We stand by the American citizen. We stand by Floridians. We do what's right. We stand up for our people and their rights. That's why I am incredibly proud of what we've done here in the state of Florida to lead on illegal immigration. We passed a great bill this year, took a little work, a little heavy lifting, but we got there. And you heard the governor talk about 287 G and all that we've done mandating that our law enforcement works with them, with the federal
23:24federal government. And you see the results. We have alligator Alcatraz. You have the deportation depot standing up. But what you really see is a governor dedicated to getting it right, doing the hard wrong, being willing to stand alone, no matter what other people do. Can you imagine if other states did the same thing? How much better our economy would be? How much safer our communities would be if other governors took his lead? Wouldn't that be incredible?
23:54What's the most? They need to stop and think about what their people want. And America has been clear. And let us just take a moment to understand this is not a Republican issue. It's not a Democratic issue. It's not an independent issue. It is an American issue. The American people have said we will want, we need the illegal immigration problem taken care of. And here in Florida, we heard what they said. Floridians, we heard what you said. We're acting. We're leading. That is the Florida way. It's what we've done. And we can never go back the other direction because this is what's
24:24right. It serves our right. It serves our people. Thankful to be a part of it. Grateful to serve as your lieutenant governor and governor. Thank you for the opportunity. God bless everybody.
24:39Thank you, Lieutenant Governor. Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today. And I want to thank Governor DeSantis and also Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins for putting Florida first, but also putting America first. Thank you. Also,
24:54my boss, my boss, executive director, Dave Kerner, our state and local law enforcement partners and also our federal law enforcement partners. Thank you. The role of trooper has never been simple and continually evolving just as our state's evolving. It's never been more challenging than right now. Today, members of the Florida Highway Patrol are stepping up to protect Florida on all fronts. The patrol is playing a direct role in defending our communities against multifaceted
25:24threats. The threats linked to the impacts of our illegal border crossings and those threats are many. Our troopers recognize this is not just a Florida issue. The impacts of illegal immigration threaten America and we consider ourselves members of America's law enforcement here in Florida, just as our do we consider our governor America's governor.
25:45criminals do not recognize jurisdictional boundaries and our responses demand
25:51cooperation well beyond county lines and local jurisdictions.
25:55In recent deployments, troopers have worked side by side with our federal agents working together as resource multipliers. This cooperation, these are efforts are not photo ops. These are boots on the ground operations where commitment, intelligence and professional cooperation protect and even
26:04save lives. I want to personally recognize the professionalism of our partners with Department of Homeland Security, ICE, ERO, our Customs and Border Protection and our United States Marshals. They've stood with us on the front lines and we stand with them as one of us.
26:26I'd be remiss if I didn't give you a troopers perspective of immigration enforcement. It looks like late night surveillance and unfamiliar terrain stopping cars that aren't just breaking laws and endangering other motorists but also transporting people being trafficked smuggling illicit drugs or occupants with criminal
26:31histories. Unlicensed drivers. Unlicensed drivers and
26:58that selfishly choose to endanger innocent Americans instead of just
27:03obeying the law. It looks like making split-second decisions on high-risk
27:08environments, often without full information, but always with full
27:13accountability. Troopers are not just responding to new immigration enforcement
27:17assignments, they are carrying out layered responsibilities that now include
27:22supporting federal warrants, protecting backup, protective backup for multi-agency
27:27teams, and protecting citizens from the violence connected with transnational
27:32criminal organizations. They're also being targeted, our law enforcement is. Their
27:37personal lives and their family lives are being doxed, exposed, and even threatened.
27:41Their work is being mischaracterized and their integrity questioned by people far
27:47removed from the realities of life or the world we live. But here's also the
27:54reality. Your troopers, our troopers, they're not political actors, they're
27:59professionals who enforce the law in this state and the nation with clarity and
28:03purpose. There's nothing glamorous about this work. There's no shortcuts. It's long
28:08hours, difficult conditions, and constant pressures to make the right call. For us,
28:13failure is not an option. This is the character of Florida law enforcement in
28:19general, but especially your Florida Highway Patrol. It's not talk, it's just
28:23results. That's what our governor demands, so my boss demands, Director Croner. It's
28:27about results. Florida law enforcement will not turn a blind eye to criminality,
28:33especially when it dangers the safety of law-abiding Americans. We will continue
28:38to empower and support our troopers with the resources and training they need.
28:41That includes protecting them and their families against threats and
28:45harassment. To our troopers that may be listening, there are several here today, thank you. Thank you and your
28:52loved ones for answering the call. To our federal partners, thank you also. Thank you
28:57for your trust, your courage, and your partnership. We look forward to our
29:01continued cooperation and support of public safety for everybody. Thank you. Thank you, Governor.
29:13Governor, honored to be here with you today here in Bay County. Lieutenant Governor,
29:16congratulations. You know, one of the coolest things about about this position is
29:20that I get the honor of traveling around the state of Florida, and I get to meet
29:25troopers in every corner of this great state, every county, all 67 counties, and one
29:32of the, you know, one of the dynamics that has happened over time is that when I meet
29:37new troopers, there's about almost 2,000 of them. It's hard to meet each and every one,
29:42but I've had a chance to meet most of them, and every, almost every time, and it happened
29:46yesterday several times when I was out on the operation, is they come up to me and they say,
29:50thank you, Director Kerner, thank you, Colonel Howes, for allowing us to be cops again, for allowing us to
29:58be able to serve and protect, and that has very little to do with my leadership. I try to pick the
30:04best commanders and command staff for the agency, but at the end of the day, it's a testament
30:09to our governor. Leadership matters, and these troopers didn't sign up for law enforcement
30:19and to be a state trooper for the pay. I promise you that. They didn't do it for the pension.
30:25They did it because they deeply care about the safety of their communities, and when they have
30:30to work under policies that restrict their ability to be effective, it breaks their heart, and so,
30:36Governor, thank you for what you have done for the Florida Highway Patrol. These troopers behind me
30:43are out there kicking butt, and they're taking names, and they're honored to do it, but it's because you
30:49allow them to do their job, and when you appointed Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, I said, oh my gosh,
30:54it's going to get even better, and so, we know you were with our troopers out there in California.
30:59We know that you're an operator. It's an amazing thing to have two leaders as our governor and
31:06Lieutenant Governor that are veterans of the military that care about the welfare of the people
31:12that they're serving, and so, it's an honor to be here with you today, Lieutenant Governor, as well.
31:16Just want to speak briefly about what's really going on when we're talking about illegal immigration
31:22and 287G. I want to give you a little bit more of a Grandler perspective.
31:28We were, of course, the first state to execute 287G agreements. Florida Highway Patrol was the first
31:34agency to sign that agreement, and the governor talked about, you know, action, getting things done,
31:41so it's great to do all the signing, and everyone's getting deputized, but what are we doing with it,
31:47and what Florida is doing is leading the nation. We're here to build a model that can be exported
31:54to other states. The truth is, with the millions and millions of illegal immigrants in this country,
32:00if we're going to have a meaningful opportunity to fix what has occurred over the last four years
32:05in the prior administration, it's going to take more than signing agreements. It's going to take
32:09capturing people, apprehending them, and deporting them, and the tip of that spear is the Florida
32:15Highway Patrol, but we want this model to be exportable. If it's just Florida, it's going to
32:22help Florida, but it's not going to solve the problem nationwide. So in the past, since March,
32:28we've arrested over 3,600 illegal immigrants, the Florida Highway Patrol alone.
32:35We are now entering a different chapter of interior enforcement. We stood up, the governor announced
32:42a couple weeks ago, that we have stood up our own internal full-time immigration unit within the
32:48agency. You know, I had a chance to testify in that case against Alligator Alcatraz, and I was trying
32:54my best, promised governor, trying my best to explain to the judge what is actually happening. Why are
33:01there so many apprehensions? And if you look at the footprint of Border Patrol and ICE in Florida,
33:06there's about 600 agents combined. There's 2,000 agents now just in the Florida Highway Patrol,
33:11and then you have our 67 sheriffs that are engaged, and so it's going to be a massive,
33:16massive lift. And so we've stood up our own immigration unit, and we've had the opportunity
33:22over these last three days to test that model. And really, we say it's three days, but it was really
33:29about 18 hours of operations, and we apprehended 100 and almost 90 illegal immigrants in that time period,
33:41in just a couple counties. If you were to think about putting all those people in this room,
33:46just for scale, I don't know that you could fit all those illegal immigrants into this room.
33:52As the governor stated, a lot of them had criminal histories. Many of them tried to escape. We engaged
33:57in pursuits and foot pursuits, but it's important work. And so moving forward, we don't have a fancy
34:05title or operation title, right? We had operation title weight. We don't have those anymore because
34:11the reality, governor, is at your direction. This is the way that it's going to be, right? So our
34:16immigration units are going to be in every county, full-time. We're going to be in every community.
34:23We're going to touch every corner of this state, and we're going to do our job, and we're going to
34:28remove illegal immigrants. And we're going to export that model. Our hope is we're going to design that
34:34model to be exported, so that other states that have supportive legislators and supportive governors
34:40will take on this mission and task. And so I could not be prouder of these state troopers.
34:49What I saw out there over the last three days was amazing professionalism, amazing enforcing efforts.
34:57I just got a call right before we started this press conference. Our troopers are out there in Bay
35:01County right now. They called and said, we got 15 more, and that was within the span of an hour.
35:07And so this is an effort to try to recalibrate what has gone on in this country with illegal
35:13immigration and make our community safer. And just one last point, if I may, we could not have a
35:20better partnership with ICE, with Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security, but also our local
35:26law enforcement leaders and officers. I know Sheriff Ford is here today. Every sheriff in this county
35:32has established what is known as a basic order and agreement. And what that allows us to do is
35:39drop off illegal aliens at our local jail, whatever county we're in, before we would have to drive
35:45powers and hours to a federal facility. That effort alone has allowed us to apprehend hundreds upon
35:51hundreds more illegal immigrants in just a couple of days. And so we're thankful to our sheriffs,
35:56we're thankful to our local police departments. I'm excited for what is to come. But I also want to be
36:02candid to those of you watching, whether it's in this county or in South Florida or Tampa,
36:08Florida Highway Patrol has a mission that the governor has tasked us with, and we will execute on it. And our
36:16communities should anticipate that we will continue to remove illegal aliens from the state of Florida.
36:22We will do it with diligence, we will do it with pride, and we will do it with professionalism.
36:27But it will be done. And Governor, I promise you that. And I thank you for your leadership, sir.
36:31Okay. Keith?
36:38Well, thank you so much for allowing me to be here today. Since day one in office, President Trump
36:43closed the border for the illegal aliens invading our country, finally having the most secure border
36:48in our country's history, and all we needed was a new president, President Trump. And under the
36:53leadership of Secretary Noem at the Department of Homeland Security, thousands of local and state law
36:58enforcement officers have been empowered to help deliver on the promise President Trump made to
37:02the American people through ISIS 287 program, taking the worst of the worst off our streets, protecting
37:08the American people. And what you see here today is a testament of the partnership
37:13we have with the Florida Highway Patrol, and how effective state and local partners can be
37:18in combating the illegal immigration challenge America faces. The amazing men and women behind
37:23me and out there on the streets with the Florida Highway Patrol have added the 287G authority to
37:28their arsenal of tools to help keep our roads and highways safe for all Americans to travel. Thank you.
37:35Thank you, Governor. Most of the things that needed to be said and should have been said have been said
37:46already today. And just so you know who I am, I'm Larry Keefe. I'm the executive director of the State
37:51Board of Immigration Enforcement. My job is basically to facilitate all the cooperation that is necessary for
37:58state and local law enforcement, emergency management, National Guard, a host of state agencies to help and
38:03assist our federal partners. They are the primary lead in this mission. President Trump set the standard
38:09for this mission, declared a national emergency right when he was inaugurated to secure the border
38:13and to conduct the largest mass deportation effort in history. Governor DeSantis had the vision and foresight to
38:19know that that could not be done countrywide without state and locals being very heavily involved and being peer
38:25partners with the federal government. And my job is to make certain it all comes together and report to the
38:30governor and the lieutenant governor on what's happening. And right now my assessment of everything,
38:34everybody's seen Alligator Alcatraz, we've got Deportation Depot, but it all comes down to finding, sorting,
38:41processing, detaining, and deporting in the mass scale humanely, safely, lawfully, and bringing all of
38:49these moving parts together. But today I'm really glad I'm here in the headquarters of the Florida
38:55Highway Patrol west of Apalachicola after this week-long operation to give you my sense of
39:00what the real, real heart issue now is. The governor's going to find a way to sort out detention.
39:06When federal judges want to shut us down or play whack-a-mole between Kevin Guthrie at emergency
39:10management, General Haas at National Guard, we're going to find a way to do it. We're not going to be,
39:14there's resolve and there is completely undaunted leadership and now that we've got this lieutenant
39:20governor it's just going to get better and I'm as excited as you are, Director Kerner and all that.
39:24But after spending a good amount of time and not just this week beforehand with you all,
39:30with the line, with the people that are actually making it happen and having a lot of real discussions
39:35in the rain, in the lightning, while you're still breathing hard after chasing somebody through a
39:40parking lot or into the woods, while you're trying to humanely properly and safely arrest someone,
39:46have them want to fight you and have a family at home and to have the risk of you hurt your back.
39:54You just broke your finger and that's going to annoy you and annoy you and annoy you and
39:58fill your day and you got to go home to your family. That very real discussion and the number
40:02one thing that you all want to know and I just admire, respect you for it is do you all have our backs?
40:08Do you have our backs? Are you with us? Because this is a very ambiguous, it's a new area.
40:13Largely it was public safety, work on the highways, traffic related stuff and with the way our world
40:20is completely transformed to where we are now with you are the vanguard at the forefront with our
40:26sheriffs. We got Sheriff Brian here today and Sheriff Ford at the real cutting edge of this and the
40:33bellwether lead laboratory state on all this stuff happening nationally where the book is being written,
40:38where the Florida blueprint is being written for the other states to follow. It's happening right here
40:43and at the cutting edge of it is you, you, I remember you from yesterday and you having to make that
40:49decision, am I going to bring it today? Yeah 287G and the losses in Florida, you got to bring your best
40:55efforts if you're law enforcement to this fight but when you're sitting there and it's real and you're out
41:00on the highway alone and you're tired and you're wondering what if I do something wrong? It's kind of gray,
41:05it's ambiguous, very Green Beret environment and I want you to know that the people that you see
41:12here and for you at a perfect place at a perfect time with Governor DeSantis, with our Lieutenant
41:17Governor, with the leadership in Washington with like former Florida Sheriff Keith Pearson,
41:22you've got the right people in the right place at the right time that understand the ambiguous
41:26environment, the risk, the danger and that things are not always going to go right but we are right
41:32there, he has your back, he has your back and they are worthy and the people of Florida are worthy.
41:38We always hear America first, America first and by gosh America first but Floridians first, Floridians
41:44first. So when you go home and you're having to deal with doxing of your families, your personal
41:49information being put out there, people telling people what hotels you're staying in when you're on
41:55operations, we've got your backs, we're going to find ways to sort through that but when you make that
42:00decision each day on whether to bring it or don't bring it, Florida is worthy of it,
42:06your country is worthy of it, your country cannot do it until we get things squared away in Florida
42:10and we're just about there to really get in this where we can scale it and then take it nationally.
42:15So thank you all, it's been a great week and I'm glad we're finishing it up in your
42:19headquarters here in Panama City. Thank you.
42:28And we were able to, you know, I called for a really big pay increase for Highway Patrol.
42:33We were able to get a pretty significant one, not all that we asked for, but we'll come back more
42:38next year and do it. And part of it is, you know, you just got to do, it's kind of like keep up with
42:43the Joneses, like, you know, you need to keep good people, just period, and the pay needed to
42:48increase. But then also just Highway Patrol is doing a lot of yeoman's work on the immigration issue.
42:56I mean, that's just the reality. And so we wanted to show our appreciation and so I was glad we were
43:01able to deliver a big increase. We are going to try for more next year. And then, you know, we also,
43:09I see Griff, how's the voter freedom? Do people like it? Has it been going good?
43:13Okay, yeah. And then the red snapper, I know we did that over Memorial Day this weekend. I'm sure
43:19people enjoyed that. And it's the largest red snapper season, golf red snapper season,
43:25than we've had since the state assumed management responsibility. I don't know how many years that is,
43:29but we're happy with that. So you get this massive red snapper season in the golf, which you should get.
43:35And in the Atlantic, they get like one day, two days. So we've asked the federal government,
43:40give us the management of that. We'll manage it better. We know what's going on. And we look
43:44forward to being able to do that. I know there'll be a lot of people on the east coast of Florida,
43:48that'd be very happy if we were able to get that done. And that's something that we've been working on,
43:53really, for since President Trump took office. We're, we're excited with the results. Look, you know,
43:59I see these guys, they'll go on TV, and then they'll talk about border immigration. But yet,
44:05like the congressmen don't do anything. I mean, some of these people, these politicians,
44:09what we're talking about here is an operation that is producing tangible results, like really
44:15serious results that are going to result in more safety and security and prosperity for the folks
44:23in this community and beyond. So I'm glad that we're an administration committed to action,
44:29committed to results, and getting the job done. And this is just another example of that.
44:35You know, we're here, so you know, my kids, so I've got a third grader, second grader, and a
44:39kindergartner. And you guys have this great donut place, Dandy Donuts. And I got that for them years ago.
44:46And they didn't really go to sleep that day, because there's a lot of show, very good, amazing
44:53donuts. I mean, like, you walk up, there's like all these, it's just incredible. And so, so that was
44:58kind of a, you know, the flip side, they liked it, the flip side. But today's Friday, they don't,
45:02it's not a school night. So I am bringing them back. This is round two for the, for the DeSantis kids
45:08of Dandy Donuts. So we'll let you see. Hopefully, they can get to bed at a decent hour. Okay, do we have
45:13any questions? All right. God bless everybody. Thank you.
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