Florida, Texas and Arizona have now transferred some 10,000 migrants to Democrat-ruled states and cities in recent months. The message from the three Republican governors to New York, Chicago and Washington DC, among others, is: if you care so much about migrants, take them in yourself.
Residents of famed Martha’s Vineyard, an island where many wealthy Americans spend their summer vacation, were stunned Wednesday when the two charter flights arrived at the local airport. Florida had not notified authorities of their arrival. The group of about fifty people, mostly from Venezuela, was rushed to a community center and church.
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been named as a presidential candidate, said states like Massachusetts that have declared themselves a “safe haven” for migrants should bear the burden of shelter. Since Joe Bidens took office, the number of migrants knocking on the door to seek asylum or crossing the border illegally has risen sharply. This has created a crisis situation at the border, especially in Texas.
“States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better care for these people,” DeSantis said through his spokesman. “They invited them to our country by encouraging illegal immigration with their designation as a ‘sanctuary state’ and by supporting the open borders policy of the Biden administration.”
Trump
With his controversial move, DeSantis is now responding to threats in recent months that he will saddle Democratic states with the reception of migrants. Like the Republican governors of Texas and Arizona, he constantly denounces President Biden’s weak and failing policies against illegal immigration.
People who want to build a life in the US hoped to have a greater chance of crossing the border legally or illegally after President Donald Trump’s departure. This led to a sharp increase in the number of arrests at the border. In the middle of last year, there were about 200,000 arrests per month, the highest number in twenty years.
The number of detentions will exceed two million this fiscal year, which ends in October. This also concerns persons who have crossed the border illegally several times. Some of the migrants are admitted and are allowed to await the asylum procedure in the US. Since Biden took office, more than a million people have been temporarily admitted. They stay in hotels, shelters or with family, among other things.
The migrants who now reside in the town of Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard, where the Obamas, among others, have a multi-million dollar house, had no idea where they had ended up. Before leaving, the group had been told that they would get a house and a job in their new place of residence. Upon arrival, they were taken care of by volunteers who immediately provided food and clothing.
‘Political Points’
Dylan Fernandes, who represents Martha’s Vineyard in state parliament, denounced DeSantis’ action. “The governor of one of the country’s largest states is spending his time devising a secret plan to round up people – children, families – and fly away,” Fernandes tweeted. “Just to score political points.”
The White House also accuses the Republican governors of engaging in cheap, political stunts. The mayors of cities like New York and Washington DC, who have asked for federal help to accommodate the migrants, are outraged. “He’s an anti-American governor who really goes against everything we stand for,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who “dumped” some 2,000 migrants in New York City. Adams: ‘We need to get him voted out.’
DeSantis says he will repay the White House in the same coin. According to him, since last year, dozens of planes have transferred migrants from the border region to Florida by the federal government. “I’ll send them to Delaware on buses,” the governor then threatened, referring to Biden’s home state. ‘If he doesn’t want to secure the border, then he should take care of all the migrants himself.’ He later also warned Martha’s Vineyard that they can expect migrants from Florida.
DeSantis now has a $12 million pot at his disposal to get the migrants out of his state by bus and plane as quickly as possible. His Republican colleague Abbott has bused some 10,000 migrants since April. Most, about 8,000, ended up in Washington DC. “We’re sending them to the capital so the Biden administration can take care of these people who are allowed to cross our border,” Abbott said.