On Sunday, the attorney general of California stated that a group of over a dozen migrants from South America, who arrived in Sacramento via a chartered flight from New Mexico, were found to have documentation indicating that the state of Florida had arranged their transportation. The group of 16 migrants from Venezuela and Colombia were taken by bus from El Paso to New Mexico before boarding a flight to Sacramento. The migrants were delivered to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento on Friday. However, neither Ron DeSantis nor Greg Abbot took responsibility for the flight.
According to Bonta, the Florida Division of Emergency Management scheduled the flight as part of their program to move migrants from Texas to other states. The documents showed that the contractor for the relocation program is Vertol Systems Co. They also organized similar flights last year, transporting Venezuelan asylum seekers from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
It is unclear what involvement, if any, DeSantis had with the flight. However, according to Bonta, the responsibility for the incident falls on DeSantis. In an interview with The Times, Bonta blamed DeSantis, who recently announced his presidential candidacy, for the situation. Bonta stated that DeSantis was heavily involved in the project, as he signed off on it, the Legislature approved funding in the budget, and a vendor was hired to carry out the work. Bonta further criticized DeSantis for exploiting people for political gain and engaging in inappropriate behavior.
Meanwhile, Newsom has habitually attacked DeSantis and Abbott over a host of issues that divide the nation, including immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, gun control, and abortion. This year, he launched a political action committee to support Democrats running in red states. In a video announcing the effort, Newsom said “authoritarian leaders” are a problem for the country as images of DeSantis and Abbott flash across the screen.
This latest occurrence has contributed to an ongoing debate about similar actions by conservative politicians in Republican-led states. According to supporters, the recent efforts aim to increase awareness about the rise in migrants crossing the southern border and bring attention to the issue in states led by Democrats.
However, opponents argue that these actions are cruel political maneuvers that use immigrants as pawns, leaving them far from their families, resources, and courthouses where they may seek asylum.
Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, both Democrats, met with over 12 migrants to investigate the circumstances of their travel and whether those orchestrating the trip misled anyone with false promises or violated any criminal laws, including kidnapping. Bonta has stated that his office will assess the possibility of taking legal action, either criminal or civil, against individuals who facilitated the transportation of vulnerable immigrants. Bonta reported that a group of migrants claimed they were guaranteed jobs and offered assistance finding work. However, they were abandoned at the Catholic diocese instead of being taken to their destination.