(NewsNation) — The United States’ so-called “third border” is in the spotlight Thursday as two top Trump administration officials head to Florida to discuss immigration mitigation efforts.
Revved-up border security and increased deportations have been a mainstay of President Donald Trump’s second administration, with border czar Tom Homan and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at the helm of the efforts.
Both are slated to speak in the Sunshine State on Thursday about the federal government’s cooperation with state and local law enforcement to carry out Trump’s policies.
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Tom Homan, Ron DeSantis discuss immigration
Homan, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf are slated to speak at 10 a.m. ET in Sarasota, Florida.
Their conversations will likely be focused on Trump’s mass deportation efforts and state-level involvement in removal efforts, which DeSantis has openly supported.
In late February, DeSantis upped the stakes for crimes by immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, part of his plan to deter migrants from entering the state.
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The meeting comes as the Trump administration doubles down on its attempts to fly alleged gang members out of the country despite a judge’s temporary block on the removals.
“We’ll let DOJ and the courts fight this out, and we’ll see where we go from there,” Homan said on “CUOMO” on Wednesday. “We’re going to keep targeting the worst of the worst.”
Kristi Noem meets with US Coast Guard
In South Florida, Noem is scheduled to participate in an offload of more than 45,000 pounds of drugs with the U.S. Coast Guard.
The 10:30 a.m. ET event will focus on the maritime agency’s crackdown on smuggling in the Sunshine State.
Since January, the Coast Guard said it has tripled its forces operating on the southern border in response to Trump’s national emergency declaration.
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NewsNation got an exclusive look at their work from the sky a few weeks ago, riding along with Coast Guard pilots who track migrants through the Caribbean. The flight lasted six hours — starting in Miami and going over several islands.
NewsNation’s Jordan Perkins and Anna Kutz contributed to this report.
