Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has justified his state’s decision to charter flights that transported 36 Latin American migrants to Sacramento, citing California’s “incentivization” of illegal immigration and calling for California to cover the expenses.
In his first southern border visit since launching his presidential campaign, DeSantis said, “These sanctuary jurisdictions are part of the reason we have this problem, because they have endorsed and agitated for these types of open-border policies.” Criticizing the policies of the previous administration, he added, “They attacked the previous administration’s efforts to try to have border security.”
Governor Gavin Newsom of California and other Democratic officials have accused the Florida government of funded operations to move migrants to Sacramento, leading to possible civil or criminal charges. They said the migrants, who arrived last Friday and on Monday, were misled into boarding the planes with false promises of work before being left outside a church building. Newsom criticized DeSantis and called him a “small, pathetic man.”
DeSantis hit back at Newsom, citing California’s budget deficit and comparing it unfavorably to Florida’s fiscal surplus, stating, “We have a well-managed state.” He made the remark at a round-table discussion held in Sierra Vista, Arizona, which included representatives from Florida, Arizona, and Texas and security officers.
As a Republican primary candidate, DeSantis has taken a hardline stance on immigration, criticizing President Biden’s policies and, to a lesser extent, former President Donald J. Trump, his primary opponent.
“The border just needs to be shut down,” said DeSantis, who is currently on a fundraising trip to Texas. He also reiterated his support for a border wall, adding that “mass migration just doesn’t work.”
DeSantis recently authorized more than 1,100 Florida National Guard members and law enforcement personnel to go to Texas and serve at the southern border. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, had requested the assistance from DeSantis. DeSantis led a similar effort in 2021 and also made a public appearance at the border.
Despite the fact that border apprehensions have reached record highs in recent years, illegal crossings between ports of entry along the southern border have decreased by more than 70% since May 11th, when the pandemic-era health measure Title 42 was lifted, according to Customs and Border Protection statistics.
After DeSantis’s statements in Arizona, local sheriffs discussed crimes that had been perpetrated by undocumented immigrants, making the discussion feel more like a campaign event.
Sheriff of Polk County in Central Florida, Grady Judd, declared, “Ladies and gentlemen, make no mistake about it: This is simply the best governor that the state of Florida has had in the last 50 years.”
Miriam Jordan contributed reporting from New York.
