In a week of court victories at the national and state level, Florida has decided to join the winning party.
The Florida Supreme Court ruled this week in favor of Governor Ron DeSantis's request to set up an immigration grand jury that would investigate immigration-related activities as the Biden border continues to allow thousands of illegal immigrants to pour across the border.
This is just one more win for DeSantis as he works to make Florida a safe haven from the negative impacts of the Biden administration's disastrous policies.
Justices, in a four-page unanimous order, said the statewide grand jury will be impaneled for a year in the 10th Judicial Circuit, which is made up of Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties. The circuit's chief judge, Ellen Masters, will preside over the grand jury.
Mirroring DeSantis' request, the order listed a series of issues that the grand jury could probe.
As an example, the grand jury could look into "parents, guardians or other family members of unaccompanied alien children who have conspired with transnational criminal organizations or other illicit actors to smuggle, and thus endanger, their children."
As another example, the grand jury could investigate transnational criminal organizations, "their members, or other illicit actors who smuggle or traffic unaccompanied alien children or other illegal aliens to Florida."
The purpose of the grand jury will be to investigate the human smuggling, which endangers individuals by sneaking them into the US and throughout the US illegally.
As we saw recently in Texas, these smuggling operations are dangerous for everyone involved.
Even though Florida is not technically a border state, the effects of illegal immigration can be felt all across the United States as the Biden admin facilitates immigrants moving to red states all over the map.
But DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody have focused heavily on immigration issues, frequently criticizing the Biden administration's border policies. Moody, among other things, has filed or signed onto a series of lawsuits challenging the federal policies.
DeSantis announced his request for a statewide grand jury June 17 during an appearance at the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. During that appearance, he also signed a controversial bill (SB 1808) that includes barring state and local government agencies from contracting with transportation companies that bring undocumented immigrants into the state and expanding a 2019 law that sought to ban so-called "sanctuary cities" in Florida.
In a 12-page petition to the Supreme Court requesting the grand jury, DeSantis and his general counsel, Ryan Newman, listed numerous issues as justification for an investigation. The reasons included the smuggling of undocumented children who can be sexually exploited or used to traffic drugs or weapons. The petition also said that many undocumented immigrants end up in Florida.
"As more illegal aliens enter the United States and settle in Florida, more will seek to have their children illegally smuggled here as well," the petition said.
If Biden isn't going to close the border, it's up to states to secure their own borders.
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