GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis defended his migrant flights during a surprise visit to the southern border.
DeSantis shared the strong words following attacks from California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom that claimed that he was "kidnapping" migrants through the migrant flights.
DeSantis defends 'effective' migrant flights and blasts California in surprise border visit https://t.co/rZYQVMHtQW
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 8, 2023
“They have a big budget deficit. We have a big budget surplus, and so we have an ability to do things like support police and help out Texas because we have a good managed state,” DeSantis said.
“These sanctuary jurisdictions are part of the reason we have this problem because they have endorsed and advocated for these types of open border policies,” DeSantis said. “They attacked the previous administration's efforts to try to have border security.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis travels to southern Arizona – his first visit to the US-Mexico border as a presidential candidate – a day after taking credit for a pair of flights that recently carried migrants from Texas to California https://t.co/KBZnRoNc88
— CNN (@CNN) June 8, 2023
"The DeSantis administration arranged for three dozen migrants to fly from El Paso to Sacramento in recent days, the Florida Department of Emergency Management acknowledged on Tuesday, leaving them at a local church upon arrival in the Golden State," CNN reported.
"While the Florida agency said these 'illegal aliens' were relocated voluntarily, California officials have said the individuals were legal asylum-seekers who were misled with promises of jobs, clothing and shelter," it added.
DeSantis visits southern border, pledges to work with law enforcement | @WFLALibbey reports: https://t.co/OE8i5xIwBW pic.twitter.com/glqacMuyNu
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) June 7, 2023
"The flights were the latest use of the state’s migrant relocation program, which lawmakers refunded this year with $12 million in taxpayer money. The program was included in this year’s immigration reform package which gov. DeSantis signed off on it in May," WFLA reported.
"The governor’s office had repeatedly declined to comment on the flights, but after days of silence, reporters asked him about it at the Arizona roundtable. He didn’t offer specifics, instead saying, 'this is something that’s been in the budget now for two years,'" it added.
The latest moves add to strong actions from DeSantis on the border crisis as he seeks to make a dent in former President Donald Trump's lead in current polls.
The border message is clear to Americans tired of the Biden administration's open border policies, with plans to complete the border wall and shut down illegal immigration.
The Biden administration, meanwhile, appears to offer no solutions to help slow the record number of migrants crossing the border as the 2024 election cycle ramps up.
