Governors from Florida, Texas, and Arizona are sending immigrants to “sanctuary destinations.”
QUICK FACTS:
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has sent two planes with illegal immigrants to the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
- The Republican governor’s office confirmed that the migrants arrived at the beach destination on Wednesday.
- According to the governor’s office, the move was to ensure that illegal immigrants were being taken to locations where the leadership has been outspoken in support of unsecured borders.
- Florida’s governor joins the governors of Texas and Arizona in sending illegal immigrants out of their states.
- A representative from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (D) told reporters that they were aware of the arrivals and would be providing short-term shelter.
FROM THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICES:
- The Florida governor’s communications director Taryn Fenske confirmed to journalists that this was an intentional move by DeSantis: “Yes, Florida can confirm the two planes with illegal immigrants that arrived in Martha’s Vineyard today were part of the state’s relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.
- “States like Massachusetts, New York, and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and support for the Biden administration’s open border policies,” Fenske said.
- “As you may know, in this past legislative session the Florida legislature appropriated $12 million to implement a program to facilitate the transport of illegal immigrants from this state consistent with federal law,” the communications director said, adding that the state’s “immigration relocation program targets both human smugglers found in the state, but also preempts others from coming to Florida.”
- The office of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker responded to the news, saying it was aware of the situation and that the arrivals were provided with some sort of short-term shelter: “The Baker-Polito Administration is in touch with local officials regarding the arrival of migrants in Martha’s Vineyard,” Baker’s press secretary Terry MacCormack said. “At this time, short-term shelter services are being provided by local officials, and the Administration will continue to support those efforts.”
BACKGROUND:
- In April of this year, it was reported that Florida’s state legislature approved $12 million for the Florida Department of Transportation to evacuate illegal immigrants from their state for relocation.
- Martha’s Vineyard is known as a playground of rich, famous, and frequently Democratic figures, including former President Barack Obama, who purchased a house there in 2019.
- American Faith previously reported that the governors of Texas and Arizona have transported illegal migrants out of their states, delivering them to New York, D.C., and Chicago.
- Roughly 75-100 immigrants were taken from Texas to near Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., Thursday morning.
