Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) has issued a statement after 17 Chinese nationals were apprehended in Florida’s 28th District, the area he represents in Washington.
The 17 Chinese nationals landed in Key Largo by boat. They were undocumented, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV).
“Florida Highway Patrol and U.S. Border Agents detained 17 Chinese nationals after illegally making landfall in Key Largo - my district,” said Rep. Gimenez. “I’m proud to serve on the Armed Services Committee, Homeland Security Committee, and the new Select Committee on China and have requested additional information from all federal agencies involved. In Congress, I have fought the Biden Administration’s shortsighted border policies that have endangered our country and impacted our South Florida community.”
Moreover, the FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner mentioned that President Joe Biden (D) and his administration have “completely failed at border security.”
“While the Biden Administration has completely failed at border security, our Florida Highway Patrol troopers stand ready to protect the U.S. border, whether in the southwestern United States or here off the coast of Florida,” said Executive Director Dave Kerner. “This detention of Chinese nationals shows how an open border allows individuals from enemy nations to enter our communities.”
In January, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) was – and has been – very vocal about combating Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence in Florida.
"We want no CCP land purchases. And obviously, they're not going to do it directly, they'll have shell companies, so we're going to have to have a system in place to scrutinize this," said DeSantis.
He asks aloud for what purpose China would be buying so much American land, especially so close to assets such as infrastructure and military bases, in the span of ten years. As such, "we're looking for a flat ban. We're going to work with the Florida Legislature to get that done," DeSantis states.
Moreover, he criticized foreign policy toward China as he believes "American policymakers for a generation have been empowering the CCP. They said it would end up working out, China would become a democracy." Despite these efforts, China "is a very serious threat to our country. Why would we want them to have even more influence over American society than they already do?"
DeSantis received his wish as he signed a bill in May that now prohibits Chinese officials from buying land in Florida.
