SWFL doctor claims he saw ‘undocumented families’ arriving in region

A local man claims he witnessed “undocumented families” boarding a flight to Southwest Florida last month. He sent us the pictures, and we sent them to the governor for comment.

Dr. Chris Robben had a layover in Houston while he was heading to Southwest Florida International Airport Aug. 7. That’s when he told us he saw something he thought was strange at his gate.

“It was strange because it was a large number of people, in fact, the majority of the people coming off the plane first of all seem very confused and disoriented,’ Robben said. “And when we kind of had a little bit more attention, the majority of them seem to be carrying identical manila folder.”

What was in the folders is unknown and may have been legal immigration documentation.

Robben said 75 to 100 people were mostly families with young children. Their folders said, “Please help me. I do not speak English. What plane do I need to take? Thank you for your help.”

They allegedly arrived from the border town of McAllen, Texas, which probably sounds familiar given the flood of migrants arriving there.

A smaller group, he says approximately 20 to 30 people, then boarded his flight to RSW.

Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Lee County Tuesday to announce the state filed a lawsuit against the president’s administration.

“We have not heard a peep from the Biden administration,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis signed an executive order that prohibits state agencies from helping undocumented immigrants once they arrive in Florida.

“I also requested [U.S. Department of Homeland Security] provide information regarding the number, identities, destinations, criminal record, COVID test status of all the illegal aliens that have resettled in Florida,” DeSantis said.

Robben is pleased with the governor’s actions and said he thinks the system needs to change.

“Having spent many years in medicine, I’ve seen firsthand victims of human trafficking,” Robben said. “I’ve seen firsthand people that were injured on this very perilous journey that they try to make, and you see the effects on the health care system with large numbers of uninsured people all of a sudden are having to use the same resources the rest of the community.”

We reached out to the White House for a response to the state’s lawsuit and the governor’s order. We didn’t get a response Tuesday, but a spokesperson recommended we speak with Homeland Security and U.S Customs and Border Protection.