DeSantis orders Florida National, State Guard members to Texas border

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he is sending National and Florida State Guard troops to Texas to help that state put up razor wire fences on the southern border, a move in apparent defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the contentious immigration issue.

DeSantis said it would be the “first-ever deployment” for the State Guard, a force he re-established in 2022 after being defunct for 75 years.

But Florida law says the State Guard, which reports directly to the governor, is to be used “exclusively within the state,” and a proposed bill to allow out-of-state deployments has not been passed by the Legislature.

DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern did not respond to a request for comment on the use of the State Guard outside of Florida.