Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Blasts Possible Travel Ban

The Biden administration is considering whether to impose domestic travel restrictions, including on Florida. According to the Miami Herald, the Executive Branch of the US government is concerned about the increasing numbers of the UK variant of COVID-19 in the state. Florida has the most known cases in the United States of the U.K. variant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Federal government officials say no decisions have been made as yet regarding a travel ban, but conversations are taking place across government. If a ban is imposed, it could affect hundreds of thousands of Caribbean-Americans in the state who frequently travel across the country. Governor Ron DeSantis has lashed out at the Biden administration and said he will do everything possible to prevent a travel ban from happening.

“Any attempt to restrict or lock down Florida by the federal government would be an attack on our state, done purely for political purposes,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Port Charlotte, Fla.

He also called the possible move, “unconstitutional, unwise and unjust” and said that state officials "would oppose this 100 percent. It would not be based on science."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki later addressed the idea of domestic travel considerations at a briefing after DeSantis spoke.

"We are always considering what steps are necessary to keep the American people safe, but we are not currently in the process of, no decisions have been made around additional public health measures that would delay or would change, I should say, domestic travel considerations," Psaki said.

The governor’s stance has been supported by Senator Marco Rubio, who said if travel restrictions are imposed, they'll likely be challenged and overturned in court. Rubio sent a letter to President Biden on Thursday urging him not to pursue any travel restrictions.