The Attorney General of California has confirmed an ongoing investigation into a possible migrant transfer scheme involving a group of South American migrants, allegedly organized by Florida. This initiative allegedly led to the relocation of these migrants from Texas to California's capital, Sacramento.
The Migrant Transfer Allegation and its Implications
If the allegations hold true, the latest group of migrants, consisting of 16 individuals from Colombia and Venezuela, landed at the diocesan headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church in Sacramento on Friday. This incident marks the most recent migration of individuals from Republican-led states to Democratic-led counterparts.
According to Attorney General Rob Bonta, though the investigation surrounding the circumstances that brought the migrants to California is in progress, the group held documents which seemed to originate from Florida. Moreover, CBS News reports that these individuals initially entered the U.S. via Texas.
Eddie Carmona of PICO California, a faith-based organization dedicated to assisting migrants, revealed that U.S. immigration officials had processed the migrants and scheduled their asylum hearings before representatives of a private contractor offered to facilitate job-finding and travel to their ultimate destinations.
Officials from California claim that the migrants were first moved from Texas to New Mexico before being flown to Sacramento via a chartered flight. After landing, they were dropped off at the diocese's headquarters.
DeSantis' History with Migrant Transfers
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a contender for the Republican presidential nomination, was involved in a similar situation last year when 50 primarily Venezuelan immigrants were unexpectedly transported from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
NBC News reported DeSantis arguing that the flight was meant to highlight the crisis at the southern border, while Democrats and immigration advocates deemed it an exploitation of vulnerable asylum-seekers for political leverage.
Hints of DeSantis' potential resumption of his migrant transfer program surfaced when his administration selected three vendors, including Vertol Systems Co., involved in the previous Martha's Vineyard flights, to assist in the scheme.
In February, Florida's legislature passed a bill to broaden DeSantis' program, allowing officials to transport migrants to blue states with sanctuary policies. The administration received $10 million for the program in February's special legislative session and an additional $12 million in the recently concluded 2023 session.
DeSantis' clash with Newsom
California Governor Gavin Newsom escalated the ongoing feud with his Florida counterpart, DeSantis, calling him a "small, pathetic man" and threatening kidnapping charges over the migrant flight. The heated exchange on Twitter followed the allegations by California's attorney general regarding Florida's possible involvement in the recent migrant flight to Sacramento.
Though DeSantis hasn't taken responsibility for the alleged incident, he and other Republican governors have reportedly transported migrants to Democrat-led cities across the U.S. in protest of border policies and security. According to The Hill, it remains unclear whether Florida is responsible for the recent flight to Sacramento and what the migrants knew about their journey.