TALLAHASSEE 鈥� Gov. Ron DeSantis has called for states to be 鈥渕ore aggressive鈥� in immigration enforcement, as California officials continued investigating potential criminal wrongdoing after Florida directed flights of migrants from Texas to Sacramento.
DeSantis, making his first trip to the U.S. southwest border since announcing his candidacy for president, described the use of Florida tax dollars to pay for the migrant flights as helping Texas combat a border crisis.
鈥淲e have an ability to do things, like support police and help out Texas, because we have a good managed state,鈥� DeSantis said during an event in Sierra Vista, Ariz., that focused on his opposition to Biden administration immigration policies.
鈥淭his (money for migrant flights) is something that's been in the budget now for, I think, for two years,鈥� DeSantis added. 鈥淚f a sheriff asked for our support in Texas, we do this as an American problem. We don't do it just as a Texas problem, as we think we're all in this together.鈥�
A Florida Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman on Tuesday confirmed the state鈥檚 role in directing flights of migrants Friday and Monday from El Paso to Sacramento.
While the spokeswoman contended the migrants volunteered to be relocated, the flights have drawn heavy criticism from California officials, who have launched investigations and used words such as 鈥渒idnapping.鈥�
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, appearing Wednesday on NBC鈥檚 鈥淭oday Show,鈥� questioned DeSantis鈥� use of Florida tax dollars to move people like 鈥減awns鈥� after they never were in Florida.
鈥淲e mean business,鈥� Newsom said. 鈥淩on DeSantis should know this. And everyone that's been part of this, and they have more direct accountability and culpability, should know we mean business and we're not backing away from getting the facts and holding those accountable if they broke the laws of the state of California.鈥�
Newsom, who on Monday described DeSantis in a Twitter post as a 鈥渟mall, pathetic man,鈥� also said that description was 鈥済enerous.鈥�
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Tuesday said he was glad Florida accepted the 鈥渂lame鈥� for the flights. But Bonta pledged to move forward with an investigation.
鈥淭he state of Florida鈥檚 propaganda machine is in overdrive right now,鈥� Bonta told reporters. 鈥淟ook at how many times they use the word 鈥榲oluntary.鈥� Look at the title of the program. Its name is called the 鈥榁oluntary Transportation Program.鈥� They really want everyone to think that it鈥檚 voluntary. They really, really do.鈥�
The flights to California came after the DeSantis administration spurred controversy in September by flying migrants from Texas to Martha鈥檚 Vineyard in Massachusetts. Javier Salazar, the sheriff of Bexar County, Texas, said Tuesday he had completed an investigation into the September flights and referred a 鈥渃ompleted criminal case鈥� to the local district attorney鈥檚 office.
鈥淭he charge filed is unlawful restraint and several accounts were filed, both misdemeanor and felony,鈥� Salazar鈥檚 office said in a statement.
Attorneys representing some of the people sent to Martha鈥檚 Vineyard and the advocacy group Alianza Americas filed a potential class-action lawsuit in September, alleging the asylum seekers were 鈥渢ricked鈥� into going from Texas to Massachusetts.
Lawyers representing those migrants said Wednesday they traveled to California to assist the asylum seekers sent to Sacramento and found 鈥渕any similarities to our Martha鈥檚 Vineyard clients.鈥�
鈥淛ust as our Martha鈥檚 Vineyard clients were preyed upon by recruiters in San Antonio when they were at their most vulnerable, the Sacramento migrants lacked food and shelter when they were recruited for these flights in El Paso,鈥� the Lawyers for Civil Rights organization said in a news release.
Florida lawmakers included $12 million in the current year鈥檚 state budget for the Department of Transportation to carry out a 鈥減rogram to facilitate the transport of unauthorized aliens from this state.鈥� Lawmakers revamped the program in February, including putting it under the Division of Emergency Management. They included $12 million for migrant relocation in the budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which will start July 1.
DeSantis said 鈥渟anctuary鈥� communities should bear the impacts of migrants crossing the southwest border.
鈥淪anctuary jurisdictions are part of the reason we have this problem, because they have endorsed and advocated for these types of open border policies,鈥� DeSantis said.
DeSantis also said 鈥渟tates need to be more aggressive in some of the things that they're doing. It's one thing to say some things are a federal responsibility. But if they just completely abandon the field, then you don't have any rule of law.鈥�
The Arizona event was announced by the governor鈥檚 office as a 鈥渞oundtable鈥� discussion. Among the other participants were Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
DeSantis is scheduled to make campaign stops in Texas and Oklahoma in the coming days.
