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The Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, expressed his support on Monday for the immigration policies of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), amid rising tensions in Minnesota following the deadly shooting of a protester in Minneapolis by a federal agent.
During a conference in Tallahassee, DeSantis praised the cooperation agreements between the state of Florida and federal security agencies as “a model that should be replicated across the country,” reported AP.
According to the governor, state and local forces have apprehended nearly 20,000 individuals without legal immigration status in the past year, in coordination with the DHS and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
However, DeSantis did not make a direct mention of the case of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old citizen who died on Saturday during a federal agents' operation in Minneapolis.
The incident, which is part of a series of recent shootings involving DHS officials, has sparked protests in several cities across the country and a political debate about excessive use of force in immigration raids.
While several moderate Republican lawmakers have questioned the Trump administration's hardline approach in its current deportation campaign,
DeSantis fully aligned himself with federal actions, asserting that "strict enforcement of immigration laws is essential to protect public safety and the rule of law."
The governor's support comes at a time when the DHS is facing increasing scrutiny over the number of incidents involving deadly force —at least twelve since September, according to a recent report by NBC News— which has intensified political and social pressure on federal operations on U.S. soil.
Official sources from the DHS reiterated that operations will continue to be conducted "under the highest standards of security and proportionality," although no sanctions or disciplinary reviews have been reported regarding the shootings that have occurred in recent months.
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