Anne Geggis
Charlie Crist’s gubernatorial campaign is sinking six figures into airing a Spanish radio ad with an audio clip of the Governor’s No. 2 saying her boss plans to ship illegal Cuban migrants to Delaware, the home state of President Joe Biden.
It’s going to air in the Miami market, undoubtedly aimed at shocking the area’s Cuban community, many who arrived in this country when fleeing Cubans were given automatic special consideration ahead of other immigrants. The clip, from 1040 AM Actualidad Radio, is an interview with Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez in which she’s asked about the historic number of Cubans coming to South Florida in recent months and what the state plans to do.
“He’s [Gov. Ron DeSantis is] going to send them, frankly speaking, to Delaware, the President’s state,” Nuñez’s voice says in Spanish.
The ad surprised Michael J. Bustamente, a University of Miami history professor, who tweeted two minutes of the 20-minute interview.
“Cuban-American Lt. Gov. of Florida calls for sending historic number of Cuban migrants this year on buses out of S Florida to Delaware, Biden’s state,” he wrote. “Wow.”
Crist’s ad breaks it down. The ad’s narrator introduces the clip, with tense, fast-paced music behind her, citing the recent turmoil in Cuba and how Nuñez should know better.
“Now, with the images of beatings and imprisonments and the desperate cry of “Patria y Vida” still echoing in our hearts, we learn from Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, a daughter of Cuban exiles, that Ron DeSantis wants to put Cubans who came here fleeing from communism and seeking freedom on a list so he can expel them from our state,” the narrator says.
The Aug. 19 interview might have slipped into obscurity if it were not for Bustamente. On a Twitter thread, retweeted by Democratic Agriculture Commissioner and then-gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried, he recalled how there has always been much cooperation between arrivals from Cuba and those already here. Although the DeSantis-Nuñez campaign contends listeners conflated which question Nuñez was answering, critics say the comments represent a new attitude.
“… Send Cubans on buses OUT OF MIAMI?,” Bustamente wrote on Twitter. “To lump Cubans in as just another ‘illegal’? Don’t think I’ve seen such a clear expression of marriage between a strand of Cuban-American politics and Republican anti-immigrant priorities.”
That same day as Bustamente highlighted the comments, Crist put out a statement condemning Nuñez’s sentiments, calling them “a betrayal of our deepest values as Floridians and as Americans.”
“These men and women are escaping a brutal and murderous regime and yearning to be free,” Crist wrote. “They deserve better than to be treated as pawns in DeSantis’ political games designed to curry favor with the extremist base of the Republican Party.
Nikki Whiting, Nuñez’s spokeswoman, fired back and sought to draw a distinction in the dustup between Cubans and those other immigrants.
“Once again, entering the country illegally and fleeing a dictatorship while seeking asylum are two very, very different things,” Whiting tweeted. “The only reason why the left is fixating on this is because Hispanics are flocking to the Republican Party.”
Nuñez also issued a statement two days later that reiterated Whiting’s point, calling the conflation of those fleeing a dictatorship to seek asylum and those entering the country illegally “offensive.”
DeSantis championed and the Legislature approved a $12 million “unauthorized illegal immigrant removal fund.” The Florida Department of Transportation has not yet detailed how this removal will work, and DeSantis says federal relocations have stopped since other states implemented similar busing plans.
Cubans who enter the country without papers are processed no differently than other migrants, immigration lawyer Maureen Porras told the Tampa Bay Times.
“The parole used to be automatic. Cubans that successfully made it to the U.S. were automatically paroled under the ‘wet foot, dry foot’ policy,” Porras told the newspaper. “That parole is no longer automatic.”
The DeSantis campaign and the Republican Party of Florida did not immediately return an inquiry from Florida Politics about Crist’s new ad.
The ad asks for an apology for the Nuñez comments, according to an English translation of the ad’s script.
“Charlie Crist has demanded that DeSantis immediately reject that idea and apologize to our community. Mr. DeSantis: YOU MUST NOT PLAY with the pain of a people and the future of children!” the script says.
34 comments
Tom
September 1, 2022 at 2:27 pm
Sounds desperate, off balance and extreme.
He had no money, radio cheap buy. Survival mode. Big donors not buying his schtick.
He selected a child abuser sympathizer,
Matz is an extremist. Chameleon has no Prinicipal or conviction, total weather vane, flip flopper. Hispanics 60% for America’s Gov.
Avy115
September 2, 2022 at 3:55 pm
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PeterH
September 1, 2022 at 2:32 pm
The crazy and. concerning part of this DeSantis policy is that the tax burden in the millions of dollars spent for transportation is paid for by the Florida taxpayer.
Once in DC, NY or Deleware …. the undocumented from Venezuela and Cuba can easily come back to Florida where they have relatives.
It’s important to note that the President of the United States does not write immigration laws. Congress writes the legislation.
If you want strong immigration laws …. than why are you voting for Scott, Rubio and a host of Florida representatives in Congress. CONGRESS WRITES IMMIGRATION LAW.
END THIS NONSENSICAL GRANDSTANDING.
REPUBLICANS ARE AMERICA’S PROBLEM. VOTE REPUBLICANS OUT OF OFFICE.
Tom
September 1, 2022 at 3:02 pm
You are full of Adam Schiff!
Dems do not support strong immigration. They support 100% amnesty. You are crazy! You have the Biden policy on the border now.
4 million illegals.
You deliberately mislead peter h and launch partisan attacks. Just a pathetic Lincoln towel boy! Shameful
Elliott Offen
September 1, 2022 at 3:41 pm
^ What is this imbecile even talking about 😂
Tom
September 1, 2022 at 6:03 pm
Beyond your brains.
Elliott Offen
September 1, 2022 at 7:33 pm
Beyond anyone’s brain because buncha nonsense buddy 😆
tom palmer
September 1, 2022 at 2:43 pm
Executive agencies enforce immigration laws, but they can’t enforce what they don’t have the Congressional authority to do Still wondering why GOP sat idle when they were in control. of Congress if it is such a clear and present danger. The answer is they don’t want a solution, they want a political issue they can run against the Dems on.
Impeach Biden
September 1, 2022 at 2:49 pm
Well they were trying to build the wall. Day one of incompetent Joe’s administration he stopped it. Now we have a Southern Border in complete chaos and Biden still refuses to see what is going on there. Meanwhile back at his beach house in Delaware, the “wall” around his property is right on target. 😜
Charlie Crist
September 1, 2022 at 3:01 pm
1) Walls for border protection don’t work
2) A wall around someone’s house and a wall that is many miles long are two different things
* I see you’ve taken people’s advice and went and got you a FAT CAMMACK head sit!!!! Not thinking clearly!!!🍩💋
Tom
September 1, 2022 at 3:05 pm
Yes dum ass moron, Biden has feds put a wall around his home!
You are pathetic liar! Pathetic bastard!
Charlie Crist
September 1, 2022 at 3:38 pm
Yeah learn to read, comprehend, and follow a conversation. It is you who is the dumbass 😆
FP Monitor
September 1, 2022 at 5:56 pm
It’s a big mistake to respond to anything Tom posts. He’s an arrogant ignorant uneducated Trumpster hack simply looking for the attention he doesn’t get from friends or family. Tom is all about personal attacks and lying. Tom will never allow truthful facts get in the way of his continuous fake news story line! Tom makes stuff up as he types. Just like his hero figures Trump and childish Madison Cawthorn, Tom vacillates in a cesspool of absurd self-grandiose magical thinking. Do yourself and ALL OF US a big favor. Ignore all of his return comments. Maybe the internet troll will go away.
Tom
September 1, 2022 at 6:09 pm
Worthless degenerate.
Schooled you like. 3rd grade earlier.
You are classes, helpless and hopeless. Perfect dummycrat
LMAO
Tom
September 1, 2022 at 6:36 pm
Thank you FP monitor.
That’s twice today!
FP legend ( me) reigns supreme.
Hope
September 1, 2022 at 4:51 pm
Charlie Pervert,
The simple fact that you abuse a woman in Congress, relentlessly, and your fellow Democrats don’t call you out on it, says a lot about integrity…you have none.
I think the Brandon Administration is messed up enough without adding more perverts to it. Not a good way to promote your candidate.
Why don’t you call out Hunter; there’s some real troublesome issues there. Ignoring Hunter’s issues and abusing a credible congresswoman is Twisted.
Charlie Crist
September 1, 2022 at 5:41 pm
Abuse women? I think Fat Cammack is sexy and beautiful. Why do you think I’m so focused on her. Jesus Christ get a clue..
Tom
September 1, 2022 at 2:57 pm
Just desperate tactics, no pull, no gravity.
Hispanics very supportive of Gov and Lt Gov.
Hernandez Matz supported child abuser.
Crisp has no agenda.
These are far left extremist tactics.
Gov enjoys 60% Hispanic support.
Chameleon is pathetic.
Charlie Crist
September 1, 2022 at 3:02 pm
Mucho gravity when Fat Cammack’s feet fly out from underneath her and gargantuan azz squish your head!!🍩😆
Tom
September 1, 2022 at 3:07 pm
Mental moron!
Ignorant and Pathetic.
You are kindergartner.
Charlie Crist
September 1, 2022 at 3:39 pm
^ Vote for me…and I will put idiots like this guy behind bars😆
Yamki
September 1, 2022 at 3:20 pm
Illegal immigrants and asylum seekers, including those from Cuba, are coming into Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, not Florida. Governor Desantis isn’t sending anyone anywhere.
If Governor Abbott wants to send “Scranton Joe” and other sanctuary city proponents some illegals to allay the pressure in small Texas towns due to the Biden open border policies, that’s okay by me.
marylou
September 1, 2022 at 3:42 pm
deDICKtator has calculated that he no longer needs Cubans’ votes, and that he will be able to steal more votes from Trump by putting on another fascist cruelty spectacle using Cuban migrants as campaign props.
Tom
September 1, 2022 at 6:13 pm
U love his male organ.
Wench.
Charlie Crist
September 1, 2022 at 7:36 pm
^ Vulgar sexual harassment online. Local law enforcement could be contacted and you go where you belong. Just more proof that Trumpism is a criminal ideology and movement….
Tom
September 1, 2022 at 10:04 pm
Another male organ Charlie.
Wah, bunch of babies.
Love to dish it out, you can’t take it.
Wah. We know where you live.
Shut the hell up corsin
Tom
September 1, 2022 at 10:04 pm
Another male organ Charlie.
Wah, bunch of babies.
Love to dish it out, you can’t take it.
Wah. We know where you live.
Shut the hell up corsin
Charlie Crist
September 2, 2022 at 8:03 am
You don’t know where anyone lives. Full of poo poo buddy…and headed to jail for neo nazi terrorism and crime. “Wah, wah wah”
Tom
September 2, 2022 at 10:35 am
LMAO.
You ate exposed as a wack, incest driven being.
You can’t stand up to me.
Legends don’t fall.
You, Idiot Elliot and Alex shine my shoes!
Arnold Schwarzenegger
September 2, 2022 at 10:46 pm
@Tom: Seek help for narcissistic personality disorder and intellectual disability..
Tom
September 3, 2022 at 7:58 am
How’s the maid Arnold?
How’s the bastard son?
Pathetic
Hope
September 3, 2022 at 9:05 am
The Democrats can’t contribute in an intelligent manner even on this forum they only contribute by way of insults, extremism, name calling, vulgarity, sexual inappropriateness because they have no explanation for Biden’s treason. They can’t explain why we have inflation, our children have regressed in their learning on their watch, they attempt to groom our children, they have depleted our 401ks due to their incompetence. The Red Wave is coming God Bless America!
Go Away
September 4, 2022 at 4:44 pm
Were your grandkids too busy to take you to your appointment so you could get a refill on your meds? All of that failure and regression is squarely on the heads of republicans who are doing everything possible to destroy education in our country. They want the rich and educated to be the only ones who have access to quality education while they push the remaining down into underfunded and under resourced schools to keep them in control.
The party that has been whining for years about standardized education now wants education standards that THEY write. Non-secular, anti-science, anti-cultural, anti-human standards to take us back to the 50s.
You guys are on the way out. Look at the numbers. Give up on trying to push your little book club on the rest of society. We want none of it.
Maybe get a new financial advisor
September 4, 2022 at 4:49 pm
Dow in the 30k ranges since Biden was elected. If your 401k is really suffering that bad, that’s because you made mistakes. The rest of us are cruising along just fine. Low unemployment looks pretty good too.
Comments are closed.