DeSantis says two flights he chartered ‘just the beginning’ of efforts to relocate migrants

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said during a press conference Friday the transport of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., is “just the beginning” of efforts to relocate those crossing the border.

This week, DeSantis chartered two flights carrying migrants, the majority of which are believed to be from Venezuela, from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard.

The flights are similar to Abbott’s decision the past several months to bus migrants to Democratic-led cities such as Washington, D.C., and New York City.

“Now we see, in New York and D.C., they used to beat their chests when Trump was in office, saying they are sanctuary jurisdictions. Then the minute Texas starts bussing there they get very bent out of shape about it,” DeSantis said. “These are just the beginning efforts. We got an infrastructure in place now. There is going to be a lot more that’s happening.”

DeSantis says these efforts are helping “put this issue on the front burner,” adding that Florida is using $12 million allocated to the transporting of migrants for individuals who are in Texas.

The governor said Florida also claimed migrants are trying to get to Florida. Florida itself is home to a large Hispanic population.

“So they’ve been in Texas, identifying people that are trying to come to Florida, and then offering them free transportation to sanctuary jurisdictions,” DeSantis said, adding there will be more buses and flights for migrants in the future.

DeSantis also addressed allegations that the migrants have been lied to about where they were going, saying they all signed forms and were given packets with a map of Massachusetts.

Reports have surfaced that migrants at Martha’s Vineyard thought they were going to Boston and are now struggling to attend their immigration court date in Texas.

Democrats have seethed over the moves and decried them as inhumane. The White House compared the transporting of migrants to human trafficking.

“These were children, they were moms, they were fleeing communism,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “And what did Gov. DeSantis and Gov. Abbott do to them? They used them as political pawns, treated them like cattle in a cruel, premeditated political stunt.”

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