Financial records obtained by News 6 do not show the full cost of the mission to combat illegal immigration.
The Florida Highway Patrol has spent millions of taxpayer dollars in Florida to deploy troopers to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a mission to help Texas authorities fight illegal immigration, state financial records obtained by News 6 show.
The expense reports describe some of FHP's costs related to Operation Lone Star, such as Soldier overtime pay, meals, fuel and vehicle maintenance. But other expenses, including the cost of the soldiers' hotel rooms in Texas, remain unknown.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in 2021 to address a spike in illegal border crossings that he attributed to President Joe Biden's immigration policies.
Florida soon began sending state resources and personnel to help.
"This is part of a long-term effort for us to help do what the federal government has refused to do, which is to really defend the borders of this country," Gov. Ron DeSantis said in February as he bid farewell to dozens of FHP troopers. headed for the Mexican border. “You've seen the (illegal immigration) numbers go down and that's really because you have Texas making a huge effort and then all these other states coming in to help. So we want to be a part of that. We believe this is an American issue. The governor's decision to send highway patrol troopers to Texas came as the FHP struggled to fill vacancies at home. Observers have raised concerns about the agency's funding and ability to adequately serve Florida citizens.
During a 10-month period between July 2023 and April 2024, FHP spent nearly $13,5 million on resources used in Texas, according to records obtained by News 6. Those travel expenses do not appear to include lodging for troopers , who typically stay at name-brand hotels and motels while in Texas. A spokesman for a hotel where more than a dozen soldiers stayed in February said FHP was charged $189 a night per room.
FHP did not respond to questions asking whether it or another government agency was responsible for housing costs for soldiers under Operation Lone Star.
Florida troopers on patrol in Texas spent $836.017 on fuel, car washes and vehicle maintenance between July and April, documents show.
Financial records provided by FHP to News 6 show the company purchased at least three new vehicles specifically for use during Operation Lone Star: a Ford F-150 Police Responder truck and two Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs costing a total of $193.230. A spokesman for the agency did not respond to questions about those vehicles. Those travel expenses do not appear to include lodging for soldiers, who typically stay at name-brand hotels and motels while in Texas. A spokesman for a hotel where more than a dozen soldiers stayed in February said FHP was charged $189 a night per room.
FHP did not respond to questions asking whether it or another government agency was responsible for housing costs for soldiers under Operation Lone Star.
Florida troopers on patrol in Texas spent $836.017 on fuel, car washes and vehicle maintenance between July and April, documents show.
Financial records provided by FHP to News 6 show the company purchased at least three new vehicles specifically for use during Operation Lone Star: a Ford F-150 Police Responder truck and two Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs costing a total of $193.230. A spokesman for the agency did not respond to questions about those vehicles.
FHP has also spent thousands of dollars on dry cleaning and laundry services in Texas, records show, an expense that soldiers typically pay out of pocket when they return home to Florida.
In addition to highway patrol troopers, DeSantis has deployed personnel from several other state agencies in Texas, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard .
The total cost of Florida's involvement in Operation Lone Star has not been disclosed by the state.
DeSantis said in a 2023 news release that resources used for emergency situations through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact are eligible for reimbursement from FEMA.
Representatives for the Florida Department of Emergency Management, which is coordinating the state's efforts in Texas, did not respond to questions about possible compensation from the federal government or the state of Texas.
FHP did not respond to questions from News 6 asking about the number of troopers currently deployed to Texas and the number of immigrants those troopers have encountered.
When a News 6 crew traveled to Eagle Pass, Texas in February, the agency said 76 troops were deployed to undisclosed locations along the border.
At the time, the FHP said its troopers had "contacted" 148.488 undocumented aliens in Texas, while also participating in traffic stops, conducting commercial vehicle inspections and assisting at crashes.
Last year, DeSantis proposed spending $13,9 million to hire 50 more FHP troopers. That request included a $2,2 million line item for the acquisition of new vehicles.
Coincidentally, the governor's $13,9 million budget request is close to the $13,5 million FHP spent in Texas on overtime, food, fuel and other expenses over a 10-month period.
When DeSantis signed the 2024-2025 state budget in June, a news release noted that $3,3 million had been set aside to replace "aging Florida Highway Patrol vehicles," but made no mention of the 50 additional troopers the governor originally sought .
An FHP spokesman did not respond to questions asking whether the agency received funding to hire additional troopers in the current fiscal year.
FHP has struggled for years to fill open positions. The agency had 102 vacancies out of 1.982 sworn positions as of March, records show.
As FHP continues to deploy troops to Texas, many state and national leaders are demanding more be done to curb illegal immigration.
Earlier this summer in Washington, DC, the House Appropriations Committee held a hearing titled "The Cost of the Border Crisis."
The committee's chairman, Texas Republican Congressman Jodey Arrington, cited a study published by the Federation for American Immigration Reform that found illegal immigration has cost American taxpayers more than $150 billion.
"The lion's share of that cost falls on state and local governments," Arrington said. “State and local governments cannot borrow or print money like the federal government. And so they have to balance their budgets either by absorbing that cost through raising taxes or they have to cut services to their citizens."
The continuation of the article here.....https://www.clickorlando.com/news/investigators/2024/08/01/florida-highway-patrol-spent-millions-sending-troopers-to-texas-mexico-border/
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WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando
photo https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/26/americas/migrants-wait-northern-mexico/index.html
