Ron DeSantis Tells Andrew Tate That 'Florida is Not a Place Where You're Welcome'

Controversial internet personality and former kickboxer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan arrived in the U.S. on Feb. 27 after a travel ban on them was lifted as both of them face charges in Romania, including human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

But as the brothers landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis was seemingly not pleased with their arrival, saying that Florida "is not a place where you're welcome with that type of conduct."

As reported by The Floridian, DeSantis touched on the subject while talking to reporters during a press conference. While addressing the media, DeSantis said he was not aware of their arrival and that Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is looking into what "state hooks and jurisdiction" Florida may have to rebuff Tate's arrival to the Sunshine State.

DeSantis added that the state had nothing to do with their arrival and that it had little power to prevent them from visiting. "I don't know how it came to this. We were not involved, and we were not notified," he said.

Known for his misogynistic views on social media, Tate and his brother Tristan were first detained in Bucharest, Romania in Dec. 2022 as part of an investigation into alleged rape and human trafficking. The Tate brothers were charged six months later and prevented from leaving the country.

Despite being banned from leaving Romania, their arrival to Florida was facilitated due to the lift of a travel ban. Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) said in a statement that prosecutors had approved a "request to modify the obligation preventing defendants from leaving Romania," but did not expand on who had made the request.

Joseph McBride, the Tate brothers' U.S.-based attorney, said they plan on traveling to Romania in March "to meet with the prosecutor" before returning to the U.S. McBride added that their clients feel secure in America for multiple reasons, "the primary one being that Donald Trump is the President."

When contacted by NBC News on whether the State Department or the White House was involved in lifting the Tate brother's travel ban, they declined to comment. Trump official also declined to comment on their arrival to the U.S.

Following DeSantis orders, Uthmeier said on X that he had directed his office "to work with our state law enforcement partners to conduct a preliminary inquiry into these individuals."

"Florida has zero tolerance for human trafficking and violence against women," Uthmeier added. "If any of these alleged crimes trigger Florida jurisdiction, we will hold them accountable."