Tag Archive for: florida

U.S. Authorities On Alert After Discovering New Chinese Migrant Smuggling Route in Florida

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Federal authorities are growing increasingly concerned about a route Chinese migrants are utilizing to make their way to Florida illegally, according to an internal federal intelligence report obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The report states that law enforcement lacks information regarding who is coordinating the smuggling between the Bahamas and Florida, where the migrants are being staged in the Bahamas and why Chinese migrants are choosing the Caribbean island. It also references recent incidents of Chinese nationals entering Florida illegally via the Bahamas.

There have been five such incidents of Chinese migrants attempting to “self-smuggle” from the Bahamas, according to the report. One incident took place on July 16 and involved a group of six Chinese migrants.

View Document #1 obtained by Jennie Taer//Daily Caller News Foundation

“The Chinese purchased a Bahamian registered vessel in GBI and tested the capabilities before leaving and being interdicted in Palm Beach. All 6 Chinese migrants were repatriated to the Bahamas,” the report stated of the latest interdiction.

Document #2 obtained by Jennie Taer//Daily Caller News Foundation

Border Patrol agents stationed in Florida have seen a spike in arrests of illegal migrants from China, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.

Agents apprehended 27 illegal migrants from China in Florida between October 2022 and June, up from 5 in all of fiscal year 2022 and 7 in fiscal year 2021, according to the data. It is unclear, however, how many of the total number of Chinese migrants caught by Florida authorities used the Bahamian smuggling route.

Federal authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border also recorded a recent uptick in encounters of Chinese migrants crossing illegally. Between October 2022 and June, Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 14,000 illegal migrants from China at the southern border, compared to roughly 1,900 in all of fiscal year 2022, according to federal data.

“Right now in China there’s extreme pessimism, especially among people in their 20s about the future of their country, so it’s understandable that they’re leaving and they’re trying to get into the United States. And, you know, these are people who are relatively middle class, so it shows you the problems in Chinese society are severe,” China expert Gordon Chang previously told the DCNF of the surge in Chinese migrants crossing the southern border.

“When I first saw that the surge in Chinese migrants, that’s the thought that came to my mind that these are either Ministry of State Security agents or Chinese military, who are coming to this country to commit acts of sabotage against the US,” Chang added.

AUTHOR

JENNIE TAER

Investigative reporter.

RELATED ARTICLE: Illegal Immigration Surges After Biden Admin Takes Victory Lap Over Border Numbers

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Florida Officials Nab MS-13 Member on Terror Watch List

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Florida officials have come in contact with roughly 10,000 migrants, including an MS-13 gang member on the U.S. terror watch list, as part of Operation Lone Star, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced last week.

Florida stands as one of four states that recently deployed resources to support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, focused on addressing the illegal immigration crisis. DeSantis provided an update, revealing that Florida officials have come into contact with roughly 10,000 illegal migrants:

Florida teams have…assisted the Texas Department of Public Safety with over 600 arrests including felony charges for human smuggling, drug paraphernalia, unlawful carrying of weapons, a suspect with a capital murder warrant, and an MS-13 gang member currently on the U.S. Terror Watch List.

“Florida teams continue to intercede [sic] human smugglers and drug traffickers with over 230 pounds of drugs worth an estimated $184,000 seized over the weekend,” the press release added.

Deployed Florida resources include over 300 service members with the Florida National Guard (FLNG), as well as Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agents, Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers.

FHP alone has been involved in over 160 human trafficking arrests, and troopers have assisted with 2,541 traffic stops. They also assisted in “repelling over 100 undocumented migrants attempting to forcibly push towards the U.S. border at Brownsville International Bridge. All responding agencies utilized barriers to hold the line and prevent the migrants from illegally crossing,” according to the press release.

EDITORS NOTE: This Discover the Networks column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

The Media’s Latest ‘Book Ban’ Story Appears To Be Completely Unfounded

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Numerous major media outlets quickly seized on a story claiming that a Florida school had “banned” a poem, but according to a message sent to school parents and obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, the book is accessible to “all students.”

The Associated Press, USA Today, NPR, Politico, The New York Times, CNN and the Guardian ran headlines claiming a school within Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) had “banned,” “block[ed]” and “restrict[ed] access” to “The Hill We Climb,” a poem read at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, after a parent complained it contained “hate messages.” However, it appears elementary school students can still access the book; MDCPS sent a letter Wednesday, obtained by the DCNF, that informed parents that though the poem had been moved from the elementary school section to the middle school section, the poem is still accessible to “all” students.

“Recently, there has been media coverage regarding one of the books in our collection entitled The Hill We Climb,” the message read. “This text was reviewed and placed in the middle grades area of our school media center. As an additional point of information, The Hill We Climb is classified as Young Adult in Titlewave by Follet and categorized as Middle Grades in Accelerated Reader. However, to be clear, even though The Hill We Climb is located in the middle grades area of our media center, it remains accessible to all students.”

Prior to the Wednesday statement, the school district clarified in a tweet Tuesday that the book had not been “banned” or “removed” from any schools.

Moreover, Ana Rhodes, a spokesperson for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, told The Washington Post that elementary school students must request the book from a media specialist and prove they read at a middle school level, but can otherwise access the text.

The origin of the news story appears to be a Miami Herald report, based on documents obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project, which said that elementary school students’ access to the poem was restricted.

Nowhere in the documents does it say that the poem was ever banned. Instead, the documents merely say that the poem was deemed “educational” and its vocabulary was “of value” for middle school students, and would be placed under the older age group’s section of the library. There does not appear to be any evidence for the assertion that the poem was ever banned.

Politico included the school district’s original tweet and issued a correction clarifying that the poem was not “outright banned.” USA Today wrote that the poem was now only available to middle school students, but included the school district’s original tweet.

The AP, which described the poem as “banned,” wrote that the poem had been placed on a “restricted list” and that the school district said the poem is available to middle school students.

The Guardian’s headline states that the poem was “ban[ned]” and that it “was removed for reading by elementary school children.”

The book was deemed more age-appropriate for older students after a parent of a student at Bob Graham Education Center, a K-8 school within the district, challenged the poem stating it was “not educational and have (sic) indirectly hate messages,” and would “cause confusion and indoctrinate students,” according to documents released by the the Florida Freedom to Read Project.

The parent challenged four additional books and poems, though the school district’s materials-review panel decided to not completely remove the material, a Florida Freedom to Read Project report stated.

“So they ban my book from young readers, confuse me with Oprah, fail to specify what parts of my poetry they object to, refuse to read any reviews, and offer no alternatives … Unnecessary book bans like these are on the rise, and we must fight back,” Amanda Gorman, the author of the poem, said in a tweet.

The Associated Press, USA Today, NPR, Politico, The New York Times and CNN did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include comments a Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokesperson made to The Washington Post.

AUTHOR

REAGAN REESE

Contributor.

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Ron DeSantis Files To Run For President

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Wednesday to run for president in 2024.

DeSantis has been widely expected to jump in the Republican primaries for months and has consistently polled in the double digits alongside former President Donald Trump. The FEC filing comes ahead of his highly-anticipated presidential announcement at 6 p.m. Wednesday on Twitter Spaces with CEO Elon Musk, the Daily Caller News Foundation confirmed.

The governor has been traveling to key early primary states, touting his book “The Courage To Be Free” and pitching his “Florida Blueprint” agenda. DeSantis has already secured key endorsements from state legislators in Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida, as well as top Republicans in Congress like Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Bob Good of Virginia.

DeSantis’ entrance into the Republican primaries comes after he wrapped up Florida’s legislative session filled with GOP-backed bills. The governor scored conservative wins on parental rights in education, school choice, gun rights, immigration, the death penalty, abortion and plenty more.

The governor changed his political Twitter account handle Monday, preceding with his imminent presidential launch. The governor’s account had previously been used for both Florida gubernatorial campaigns, so he dropped the “FL” from his handle “@RonDeSantisFL.”

On a private phone call last week held by Never Back Down, the political action committee tasked with drafting DeSantis into the race, DeSantis indicated that he is the only Republican contender who can win the GOP primary and beat President Joe Biden in a general election.

“You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing,” DeSantis said. “Biden, Trump and me. And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president — Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states, which is not great for the former president and probably insurmountable because people aren’t going to change their view of him.”

The Real Clear Politics (RCP) average for a 2024 national Republican primary, based on polls conducted between April 21 and May 18, indicates that DeSantis has 19.4% support.

The governor joins a growing GOP primary field with former President Donald Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and conservative radio personality Larry Elder, with former Vice President Mike Pence soon to follow.

DeSantis was elected to Congress in 2012 where he served until he narrowly won the governorship in 2018, beating former Democratic Mayor of Tallahassee Andrew Gillum 49.6% to 49.2%, according to Ballotpedia. The governor handily won reelection in 2022 by nearly 20 points, trouncing former Democratic Rep. Charlie Christ.

DeSantis’ political team did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

AUTHOR

MARY LOU MASTERS

Contributor.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Miami Beach: Four Iraqi migrants apprehended in ‘suspected maritime smuggling event’

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What were they smuggling? Why would four Iraqis land on a Miami beach and try to sneak into the country? Does this have to do with drugs? Or jihad? Or both? Or neither? Why are officials being so laconic?

Feds detain 4 migrants from Iraq after boat arrival in Miami Beach

Local 10, April 29, 2023:

MIAMI – Four migrants from Iraq arrived at Miami Beach by boat on Friday, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.

The migrants abandoned the boat on the beach, north of Collins Park, at 2100 Collins Ave., and the W South Beach, a luxury hotel, near the Miami Beach Boardwalk.

Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar, who is based out of South Florida described the incident as a “suspected maritime smuggling event”…

Read more.

AUTHOR

ROBERT SPENCER

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EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

DeSantis Unveils Bill To Thwart Disney’s Special Privileges

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Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced legislation Monday to nullify Disney’s last-minute agreements intended to curb the governor’s newly-formed state control board, which was designed to oversee Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, the company’s special tax district.

The district had anticipated DeSantis’ signing of legislation that would have revoked the corporation’s self-governing privileges, and enacted a last-minute agreement to give Disney control of the district’s development rights and privileges. The governor announced a bill Monday that will nullify those agreements, as they were filled with legal issues and were not formed with proper notice, according to a press release.

“That’s not going to fly,” DeSantis said in the press conference. “We want to make sure that Disney lives under the same laws as everybody else.”

The agreement, formed on Feb. 8, ensures that the state control board receive consent from Disney before making any changes, undermining DeSantis’ legislation.

DeSantis signed the legislation on Feb. 27 revoking Disney of their self-governing privileges within the Reedy Creek Improvement District, citing that the corporation should abide by the same rules as the rest of the state. The legislation also established a state control board – Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board – to replace Reedy Creek.

“All agreements signed between Disney and the District were appropriate, and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law,” Disney said in a statement, WKMG reported.

The DeSantis-Disney feud began last year when the corporation came out against the governor’s Parental Rights in Education Bill for being discriminatory, and called for the law’s repeal. CEO Bob Iger slammed the governor’s actions as “anti-business” and “anti-Florida.”

The state control board will meet on Wednesday to introduce initiatives to hold Disney accountable, DeSantis told Good Morning Orlando’s Simon Conway.

Disney did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

AUTHOR

MARY LOU MASTERS

Contributor.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Advocates Say WPATH Could ‘Come Crashing Down’ As Judge Demands Treasure Trove Of Internal Documents

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The World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) is facing a potential bloodbath, advocates say, after an Alabama judge subpoenaed a treasure trove of documents from the organization as part of an ongoing lawsuit over the state’s laws on transgender treatments.

WPATH is a leading advocate of child sex changes, recently pushing to remove any minimum age requirement to undergo sex change surgeries or cross-sex hormone therapy. Amy Tishelman, the author of the “Child” chapter in the 8th edition of WPATH’s guidelines, said she changed the guidelines so doctors wouldn’t “be sued because they weren’t following exactly what we said.”

U.S. hospitals such as Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Brigham and Women’s use WPATH’s guidelines to guide their own practice of treating transgender-identifying children.

A federal judge in Alabama requested WPATH supply documents pertaining to its guidelines for child sex changes in March. Plaintiffs suing the state of Alabama over its restrictions of child sex changes repeatedly referred to WPATH’s guidelines in their argumentation.

During a similar lawsuit in Florida, a district court in March ordered WPATH, the Endocrine Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to comply with a subpoena of all documents related to their guidance for transgender-identified kids. An amicus brief filed April 7 on behalf of the attorneys general (AGs) for 17 states highlighted the stark contrast between transgender guidance — especially for minors — in Europe with that of the medical establishment in the U.S. The brief also claimed the medical organizations in question are activist in nature.

“I think there’s a good chance that the whole thing will come crashing down when the data are out there,” Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, board chair of the medical group Do No Harm, told The Daily Caller, “and that they really know that there’s no good scientific basis for this out there and they’re just going ahead and implementing an ideology rather than rigorously defined medical treatment.”

“The bottom line is the truth is now coming out, the writing’s on the wall,” January LittleJohn, a parental advocate, told The Daily Caller. “And the truth is coming out at that all of the times where they were relying on this garbage evidence, this very low quality evidence, they were doing these interventions on children with nothing to back it up. And then you have the American Academy of Pediatrics, the AMA, The Endocrine Society all blindly following these guidelines. And now they’re being held accountable.”

WPATH set standards of care for those with a “eunuch” gender identity in 2022, recommending castration as a treatment option. Recommended treatments options included hormone suppression, orchiectomy (removal of the testicles) to stop production of testosterone, orchiectomy with or without penectomy to alter the body to match their self-image and orchiectomy followed by hormone replacement with testosterone or estrogen. In creating these guidelines, WPATH used information from the Eunuch Archive in setting these standards of care, which the medical organization itself described as “filled with fantasy,” containing stories of child castration, pedophilia and sexual torture.

WPATH has also been accused of censoring viewpoints from doctors who believe that children are being rushed into sex changes. In Alabama, the judge asked for information related to how the WPATH treated differing medical opinions on child sex changes.

Dr. Stephen B. Levine, a psychologist known for his work on human sexuality and chair of WPATH’s standards of care committee from 1997-98, filed expert opinion in the ongoing lawsuit between WPATH and Florida in April.

“WPATH claims to speak for the medical profession; however, it does not welcome skepticism and therefore, deviates from the philosophical core of medical science,” he said. “There are pediatricians, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, and surgeons who object strongly, on professional grounds, to transitioning children and providing affirmation in a transgender identity as the first treatment option.”

“So the question is, are they allowing people that are rigorous investigators to do this?” Goldfarb told The Daily Caller. “Or are they simply taking people who have set up gender clinics, and they said, yeah, you’re an expert because you’re on our side. And that’s what needs to be clarified.”

AUTHOR

SARAH WEAVER

Social issues reporter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation Ending The ‘Corporate Kingdom’ Of Walt Disney World

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Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday ending the self-governing status and special privileges provided to Walt Disney World through the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

DeSantis made the announcement during a press conference in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The legislation, titled HB 9-B, ends Disney’s self-governing status, establishes a new state-controlled district and imposes a five-member state control board, which is appointed by the governor. The board will also be confirmed by the state Senate.

“Allowing a corporation to control its own government is bad policy, especially when the corporation makes decisions that impact an entire region,” DeSantis said in a statement.

Here Is What The Legislation Does Specifically:

  • ENDS Disney’s self-governing status.
  • ENDS Disney’s exemption from the Florida Building Code and Florida Fire Prevention Code.
  • ENDS Disney’s exemption from state regulatory reviews and approvals.
  • ENDS Disney’s secrecy by ensuring transparency.
  • ENSURES that Disney will pay its fair share of taxes.
  • PREVENTS leftist local governments from using the situation to raise local taxes.
  • IMPOSES Florida law so that Disney is no longer given preferential treatment.
  • ENSURES that Disney’s municipal debt will be paid by Disney, not Florida taxpayers.

WATCH: 

“This legislation ends Disney’s self-governing status, makes Disney live under the same laws as everybody else, and ensures that Disney pays its debts and fair share of taxes,” DeSantis added.

The bill is 189 pages and would also make it so that the new representatives of the committee cannot have any previous relationship with Disney within the past three years.

AUTHOR

HENRY RODGERS

Chief national correspondent. Follow Henry Rodgers On Twitter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

87% of Books Removed from Florida Schools Were Pornographic, Violent, Inappropriate, Data Shows

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An overwhelming majority of books removed from Florida schools since the beginning of the academic year in September 2022 were pornographic, violent, or inappropriate for students’ grade levels, according to school district data submitted to the state’s Department of Education.

Twenty-three out of 56 school districts reported that they had removed a total of 175 books, while 33 districts (59%) said that they had not removed any books this academic year, according to data reviewed by The Daily Signal.

The data reveals that 164 of the 175 removed books were taken out of school media centers, rather than classrooms, and 153 of the books that were removed (87%) were taken out because the district discovered that the book was “pornographic, violent or inappropriate for the grade level for some other reason.”

The school districts in Duval County and St. Johns County removed the most books at 19 each, according to the Florida Education Department data. Duval County schools reported that they removed 16 out of the 19 books because they were pornographic, violent, or inappropriate.

The data comes amid a review of educational materials in Florida schools prompted by the state’s curriculum transparency bill and a national outcry over explicit conversations, books, and materials for school children.

Media outlets like The Washington Post have suggested that Florida is criminalizing nebulously defined books in schools, forcing teachers to get rid of all their books to avoid prosecution.

“There has been no state instruction to empty libraries or cover up classroom books,” Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary, Bryan Griffin, said in a post on Twitter. “However, we ARE taking a stand against pornography and sexual material in the classroom.”‘

Griffin also denounced the idea that teachers in Florida would be committing a third-degree felony by having certain books and literature in classrooms.

“No. Not literature, not ‘certain topics’ — it’s pornographic material that carries the felony penalty,” he said. “NO classroom or school library should have pornographic material made available to children. Unfortunately, this is a real and ongoing problem. If you are confused about the law, you can review Statute 847.012, which has been the law in Florida for years.”

That statute specifically prohibits adults from knowingly distributing pornography, nudity, or sexual content to a minor on school property.

DeSantis signed a curriculum transparency bill in March 2022, which requires school districts to be “transparent in the selection of instructional materials, including library and reading materials.” The legislation aims at preserving the rights of parents to know and decide what their children are being taught.

“In Florida, our parents have every right to be involved in their child’s education,” DeSantis said at the time. “We are not going to let politicians deny parents the right to know what is being taught in our schools. I’m proud to sign this legislation that ensures curriculum transparency.”

This week, DeSantis officials took to Twitter to highlight some of the more horrifying books found in Florida schools. This includes the books “Let’s Talk About it,” “It’s Perfectly Normal,” and “Gender Queer,” which includes “shockingly obscene comics.”

This article was originally published by The Daily Signal.

AUTHOR

Mary Margaret Olohan

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Northern Border Agents Were Asked To Deploy To Florida Due To Massive Illegal Migrant Surge

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Agents patrolling the northern border were asked to deploy to Florida due to a large surge in illegal migrants in recent months, National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd told the Daily Caller News Foundation Friday.

The Miami sector has seen increasing flows of illegal migrants with a surge of hundreds of them reaching the Florida coast in a matter of days in early January, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded more than 1,300 migrant encounters. For the last few months, agents stationed along the northern border have been dealing with their own migrant surge and deployments to address another surge at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“While the southwest border with Mexico continues to be the most problematic area for border security, Biden has made it possible for people and cartels to exploit weakness on all our borders including our coastal borders and northern border. Robbing Peter to pay Paul by moving resources from one area to another is, and has never been the answer, while it might help one area, it weakens the area the agents vacated. This Administration has proven it has little ability and care to protect our borders thereby safeguarding US Citizens,” Judd told the DCNF.

Border Patrol agents stationed along the U.S.-Canadian border, who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak, confirmed to the DCNF that they were asked to volunteer.

“What’s next?” one of the agents told the DCNF. “We’re all being stretched pretty thin.”

“The situation in Florida isn’t uncommon. However, it wasn’t consistent as it has appeared to be recently. Once the boats started showing up consistently, and with hundreds of apprehensions per vessel, the need for additional agents brought about the requests for agents who wanted to volunteer to deploy down to Miami Sector,” a second northern border agent told the DCNF.

The situation has also led Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to send in additional state resources, including the National Guard, and declare an emergency. In one instance, two cruise ships in the area came to the rescue.

CBP told the DCNF that it had deployed additional resources to address Florida’s influx of illegal migrants.

“Due to maritime migrant fluctuations in Florida, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has deployed additional Border Patrol and Air and Marine Agents to the south Florida area of operations. These additional resources along with our integrated collaboration with our federal, state, and key stakeholders, allows for a rapid and efficient response to any increase in migratory flows. CBP seeks to deter and disrupt human smuggling activities by transnational criminal organizations and ensure our personnel are properly equipped to maintain border security,” a CBP spokesperson said.

AUTHOR

JENNIE TAER

Investigative reporter.

RELATED ARTICLE: American Dissatisfaction With Immigration Levels Increases As Border Crisis Continues: POLL

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

DeSantis Announces Plan To End ‘Woke Banking’ In Florida

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Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced proposed legislation Monday designed to end “ESG woke banking” in the state, slamming ESG as an “elite-driven phenomenon” that seeks to impose policies which would otherwise “never win favor” with the public.

ESG, or environmental, social, and governance standards, are a “mechanism to inject political ideology into investment decisions, corporate governance, and really just the everyday economy,” DeSantis said during the press conference. His plan aims to eliminate its influence in the state by withdrawing government support from banks that use it and creating protections for citizens.

DeSantis highlighted ways he believes the standards negatively impact the United States and its citizens, from increasing the country’s dependence on China to violating company’s duties to their shareholders and undermining the democratic process.

“This is a distortion of a government by and for the people,” DeSantis said. “They are not accountable to you.”

Part of DeSantis’ proposal would put into statute a resolution he issued last August banning state pensions from considering ESG.

The resolution directed Florida’s fund managers to “to invest state funds in a manner that prioritizes the highest return on investment for Florida’s taxpayers and retirees” without regard to ESG.

The proposal would also create protections for Florida citizens against discrimination by big financial institutions for their “religious, political, or social beliefs.”

DeSantis argued the standards often target “disfavored” groups, such as Second Amendment advocates and companies like The GEO Group, a Florida-based private corrections company that holds a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Brandon Wexler, owner of Wex Gunworks, spoke during the press conference on his experience having his accounts shut down by Wells Fargo after banking with the company for 25 years.

Wexler said he received a letter stating the company does not lend to “certain types of industries.”

DeSantis’ proposed legislation will also prohibit financial institutions from using “Social Credit Scores” in banking and lending decisions, ban the housing of state or local funds in institutions that promote ESG and ensure ESG is not used in investment decisions or issuing bonds at the state and local level. Additionally, it will direct the Attorney General and Commissioner of Financial Regulation “to enforce these provisions to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Florida, as usual, is leading the charge against this,” DeSantis said.

Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner also joined the press conference.

“The goal of corporate activism seen in environmental, social, and governance investing (ESG) is to bypass democracy and transform capitalism to serve an ideological agenda,” said Renner in a statement. “We will not allow these martini millionaires to push unsafe and unsound investment practices that silence debate in the political process, weaken investment strategies for Florida retirees, and discriminate against any individual’s beliefs. I am proud to stand with Governor DeSantis and Senate President Passidomo to put taxpayers, investors, and Florida retirees first.”

AUTHOR

KATELYNN RICHARDSON

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLE: Republicans Plot Legislative Avalanche Targeting Progressive Big Biz

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All right reserved. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

‘Florida Is Where Woke Goes To Die’: Ron DeSantis Sworn In As Governor For Second Term

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TALLAHASSEE, FL — Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was sworn into his second term as governor of the state during a ceremony at the Florida State Capitol building Tuesday.

After being sworn in, DeSantis gave a speech touting his accomplishments during his first term as governor, saying Florida is now number one in a number of different categories, including educational freedom. He also mentioned the number of people who decided to move to the Sunshine State during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the “liberty” and “sanity” the state offers.

“We reject this woke ideology. We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy. We will not allow reality, facts, and truth to become optional. We will never surrender to the woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die!” DeSantis said.

“Freedom lives here, in our great Sunshine State of Florida,” DeSantis continued. “It lives in the dreams of the historic number of families who have moved from states across this country because they saw Florida as the land of liberty and the land of sanity.”

WATCH: 

The ceremony took place after Florida’s Cabinet members were sworn in outside the state Capitol building.

(This post will be updated as more information becomes available.)

AUTHOR

HENRY RODGERS

Chief national correspondent. Follow Henry Rodgers On Twitter.

RELATED VIDEO: Governor Ron DeSantis’ second inaugural address at Florida capitol on January 3rd, 2023.

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EXCLUSIVE: Florida Subpoenas Organizations Pushing Transgender Care On Children In Lawsuit

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The State of Florida is subpoenaing nearly two dozen medical and academic organizations that have pushed transgender sex change treatments onto children as part of an ongoing lawsuit against a new Medicaid rule.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) subpoenaed 20 organizations in November to obtain information about their internal decision-making and leadership structure for pushing hormone treatments and transgender surgeries on minors, the Daily Caller has learned. The organizations signed onto a lawsuit against the state, which implemented a new rule in August to no longer cover “gender-affirming” care with Medicaid.

“Gender-affirming” care is a euphemism for treatments and procedures that facilitate sex changes, like hormone treatments or sex change surgeries.

Activists filed a preliminary injunction request against the rule, but a federal judge denied the request in October. Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that the question at hand was one for the Medicaid statute, not the Constitution.

The organizations being subpoenaed by the AHCA include the American Pediatric Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, Pediatric Endocrine Society, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and Yale University.

Yale is included in the list, despite being an educational institution and not a medical organization, due to the involvement of Yale professors in pushing against the new rule. All 20 of the organizations being subpoenaed have either promoted or employ individuals who promote “gender-affirming” care for minors.

Court documents show that the AHCA wants information on those organizations’ stance on “gender-affirming” care, policies adopted to treat gender dysphoria, side effects associated with those policies and treatments, how the organizations are organized and how many of their members voted to support those policies and why the organizations wanted to file an amicus brief in the Florida case.

The formal request includes documents related to membership deliberations, gender dysphoria and “gender-affirming” care and the Florida lawsuit, Dekker v. Marstiller.

The plaintiffs in the suit have argued that the new Medicaid rule violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Two of the four plaintiffs that the suit was filed on behalf of are 12-year-old children. For now, Florida is now one of ten states that does not cover sex-change treatments under Medicaid.

AUTHOR

DYLAN HOUSMAN

Chief foreign affairs correspondent. Follow Dylan on Twitter.

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DeSantis Denies ‘U-Turn’ On Revoking Disney’s Special Privileges

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A spokesman for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis denied reports that Florida is walking back his plans to revoke Disney’s special tax district in Friday comments to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

DeSantis signed legislation eliminating Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District in April, ending special administrative and tax privileges the company had enjoyed since 1967, following a public spat between Disney and DeSantis over a bill banning classroom instruction on gender and sexuality for young children. Florida lawmakers were reportedly planning to walk back the elimination of Reedy Creek, due in part to concerns about the additional costs it could impose on the state, according to a Friday Financial Times report.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District allows Disney to operate its own government within Disney World in Florida, meaning it collects taxes to fund its own water, roads and other infrastructure.

“Florida lawmakers are working on plans to reverse a move that would strip Disney of its right to operate a private government around its theme parks,” the Financial Times report read. “State lawmakers are working on a compromise that would allow Disney to keep the arrangement largely in place with a few modifications.”

DeSantis’ team denied any plans to reverse course on its rebuke of Disney.

“Governor DeSantis does not make ‘U-turns,’” DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin told the DCNF. “The governor was right to champion removing the extraordinary benefit given to one company through the Reedy Creek Improvement District.”

“We will have an even playing field for businesses in Florida, and the state certainly owes no special favors to one company. Disney’s debts will not fall on the taxpayers of Florida. A plan is in the works and will be released soon,” he said.

The dispute between DeSantis and Disney began when then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek came out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill following widespread pressure to oppose the legislation, which activists had characterized as anti-gay. The legislation bans classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade.

Soon after DeSantis signed the bill eliminating the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Disney stepped away from politics and quietly removed itself from the fight with DeSantis in an apparent effort to preserve its special tax district.

Disney did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.

AUTHOR

LAUREL DUGGAN

Social issues and culture reporter.

RELATED ARTICLE: Disney CEO Pledges To Double Down On LGBT ‘Storytelling’ In Animated Kids’ Movies

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.