Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the first rescue operation from Haiti, transporting evacuees who would otherwise be unable to return home due to the ongoing political turmoil in Haiti.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management coordinated emergency flights from Haiti to Orlando Sanford International Airport, returning 14 Floridians home Wednesday.
“This is the second time that Florida has stepped up to ensure that Americans have a way out of an unstable political situation abroad,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I am proud of the work we have done to get Floridians home and reunite them with their families. We will also continue to dedicate resources to prevent the flow of illegal immigrants from reaching our shores while the situation in Haiti deteriorates.”
Read: Gov. DeSantis Flying People Back To Florida From The Chaos In Haiti
The Division of Emergency Management last week launched an online portal for Floridians and Americans looking to get out of Haiti amid the nation’s escalating instability.
Guthrie said about 500 Americans and 360 Floridians had contacted the state about evacuating. Since Saturday, the U.S. government has arranged charter flights from Haiti to the U.S. for people with valid passports.
DeSantis said that, unlike the federal charter flights, Florida is covering people’s costs.
Guthrie said the state is also working to get people from where they have been staying to an undisclosed airfield in Haiti.
The flights come as the state has increased deployments of law-enforcement officers, National Guard members, and State Guard members to South Florida in anticipation of a surge in migrants from Haiti.
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