Associated Press
Venezuelan migrants flown to the upscale Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his transportation secretary Tuesday for engaging in a “fraudulent and discriminatory scheme” to relocate them.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Boston, alleges that the migrants were told they were going to Boston or Washington, “which was completely false,” and were induced with perks such as $10 McDonald’s gift certificates.
“No human being should be used as a political pawn,” said Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, which is seeking class-action status in the lawsuit filed on behalf of several migrants who were aboard last week’s flights and Alianza Americas, a network of advocacy groups.
DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, which also names Secretary of Transportation Jared W. Perdue as a defendant.
On Monday, Javier Salazar, the sheriff of Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, opened an investigation into the flights, but the elected Democrat did not say what laws may have been broken. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, whose district includes San Antonio, have asked the Justice Department to begin a probe.
Guesswork was rampant among government officials, advocates and journalists Tuesday about DeSantis’ next move, consistent with the element of surprise that he and another Republican governor, Greg Abbott of Texas, have sought to achieve by busing and flying migrants across the country to Democratic strongholds with little or no notice.
Asked Tuesday about speculation that DeSantis may send migrants to his home state of Delaware, President Joe Biden said: “He should come visit. We have a beautiful shoreline.”
DeSantis declined to confirm speculation, based on flight-tracking software, that more migrants were on the move. He again defended his decision to fly about 50 Venezuelans to Martha’s Vineyard, saying their decisions were completely voluntary and, without evidence, that they were in awful condition when Florida got involved.
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Republished with permission from The Associated Press.
26 comments
Tom
September 20, 2022 at 7:11 pm
Lies, deceit and fake stories.
Tired of liberal apologists.
No laws were broken.
Corrupt Dem Sheriff.
Biden has flown illegals around the country.
marylou
September 20, 2022 at 7:53 pm
The people are asylum seekers, not “illegals”. There aren’t even enough migrants in Florida for Desantis to fill a little plane with. He had to go find some in TEXAS! He misused your tax$$ to provide a service for Abbott! And take a video!
Top Gun
September 20, 2022 at 10:06 pm
Still waiting on your BS story about US military fighter pilots and how they don’t support Ron DeSantis. Where is your info MaryLou? Another BS story. Ask me how I know.
Jack
September 21, 2022 at 8:15 am
Try google -https://twitter.com/i/status/1562202504963637248
I personally don’t care what they think but apparently some Navy pilots thought that desantis pretending to be top gun was pretty lame when he only served as a lawyer.
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Tom
September 21, 2022 at 8:53 am
ILLEGAL they ate.
JD
September 20, 2022 at 8:41 pm
I respectfully disagree and this was pretty tasteless on Desantis’ part.
Use of the monetary interest of FEDERAL tax payer money meant to be relief from Covid to fly to Texas to pick up asylum seekers from countries with no diplomatic ties to fly to an island without “sanctuary” facilities.
Yeah, that’s so American Governorship.
Let’s break this down.
Taxpayer money for political stunt isn’t the best use of our money. If he cared about the border, send the money direct to Southern states to build the wall. If they are all for states rights, let them fund it. If its own federal land, pull back until you are on state land.
Or better yet, how about flying some of the 800,000 illegals in FL? Nope – that would cut into the Republican small business workforce that funds him. You know, where Desantis signed the law to protect from business from having to use the E-Verify to verify “their papers” for immigrant workers. That’s not a fake story, it’s documented as law.
Shall we go into the flight company (that buys Russian aircraft – this is suspect in the story, but customs imports are not) or the amount spent on each immigrant for the flights? State expenditures are of public record.
Word on the street this may violate human trafficking laws in multiple states, but Desantis will do what he always does. He will press the envelope of the law right to the edge into unprecedented territory or appeals court (like Trump) while being well into unhuman morality territory.
America’s Tasteless.
Be well Tom.
Impeach Biden
September 20, 2022 at 10:15 pm
Suddenly the Democrats are engaged on the Southern Border fiasco. What are we up to now since Joe Biden took office? Is it 4 million? Now you Democrats are concerned about the cost of transportation, feeding, educating, housing and providing medical care. Your liberal media wasn’t even talking about this. Where was CNN, MSNBC, 60 Minutes? Did Pelley even ask Biden a single question about the chaos at the Southern Border the other night? Now we have ILLEGALS suing our Governor over this. This is absolutely absurd. DeSantis and Abbot have brought this issue to all of America. Protect our borders that is your job Joe Biden. Continue to ignore and you will be impeached.
Bill
September 21, 2022 at 8:25 am
They’re not illegal, they are seeking asylum which is perfectly legal and most of the 4 million you mention get caught, thrown out, try again, get caught and thrown out again etc. until they finally make it through, so the same people are counted many times. How many republican legislatures have we had since the 60’s when this problem started? What has anyone been able to do about it? Since when does the president write legislation? Seriously. wtf do you expect him to do? You want the publicity like desantis with his crap … now you have it. Do something other than whine.
Tjb
September 26, 2022 at 11:05 pm
Why is DeSantis kidnapping migrants from Texan and not Florida? Is it because he can not find migrants in Florida? Perhaps the immigration issue is not a problem in Florida.
Next time if he does the same political theater, will he send migrants from our great state of Florida.
Tom
September 21, 2022 at 8:51 am
Get over it my Soros Manchurians, Suffolk USA poll, America’s Gov up
7 pts vs pathetic chameleon. This is a liberal bastion poll, as you can be assured Americas Gov is up 10 plus.
Florida Dum Dems are a joke!
Wait to potus comes next week, more screaming hysterically. Can’t wait.
Julio Gomez-Lopez
September 20, 2022 at 7:21 pm
DeSantis will give us money…and also go to jail over the beatings and forcing us to sign the documents. One of those pinche gringos showed my wife his salami!!!!
Tom
September 20, 2022 at 7:38 pm
Joey corsin Yes, they bought it.
They know you are pervert, incest family.
Charlie Crist
September 20, 2022 at 7:40 pm
👆Vote for me. I’ll send this guy to jail for incest…or the mental hospital for whatever in the hell is wrong with the guy.
Tom
September 21, 2022 at 8:46 am
Pervert China troll, Charlie Joey corsin. Soros associated bought China trolls on tik tok.
Joey, Elliot you and your aliases are exposed by me. Pathetic incest pervert.
Richard Bruce
September 20, 2022 at 7:47 pm
Just guaranteed DeSantis the White House. Keep it up. The more press this gets, the less the Governor will have to spend campaigning.
Charlie Crist
September 20, 2022 at 8:58 pm
Yeah we see where that got Trump…
PeterH
September 20, 2022 at 8:14 pm
Another needless DeSantis lawsuit that Florida voters will have to pay for!
REPUBLICANS ARE AMERICA’S PROBLEM.
VOTE ALL REPUBLICANS OUT OF OFFICE!
Impeach Biden
September 20, 2022 at 10:18 pm
Your party created this border mess.
Your party gave us high fuel prices.
Your party gave us 40 year high inflation.
Your party gave us George Gascon.
Your party gave us Lori Lightfoot.
Your party gave us Latoya Cantrell.
Vote all Democrats out of office. They are destroying America.
Elliott Offen
September 20, 2022 at 10:22 pm
Your party is full of nazis and plutocrats who only exist to shovel money to billionaires. Democrats didn’t create inflation either. You people are full of sht..
marylou
September 23, 2022 at 1:46 pm
High fuel prices and inflation are due to RECORD CORPORATE PROFITS!!! What’s Desantis’s plan to force the oil companies to drill on the 9,000 leases that they have but are refusing to drill on??
ScienceBLVR
September 21, 2022 at 6:52 am
Wow the migrants are suing DeSantis? Can’t say as I blame them. Every Floridian should sue our governor for dereliction of duty, misappropriation of taxpayer funds, bullying and harassment of just about every group that is not part of his rabid MAGA base as well as businesses, educators, and community activists, If DeSantis would only do his job that a miniscule majority of Floridians elected him to do, we wouldn’t need to sue him, or fervently wish he had a soul.. And those migrants, geeshhh didn’t take long for them to figure out how to be a “real” American and sue someone!
Tom
September 21, 2022 at 9:21 am
Wah, Wah & Wah mis believer!
You need your milk bottle.
Wait til you get ass kicked E-day.
LMAO
Tom
September 21, 2022 at 9:19 am
Thanks for good wishes JD, I don’t get those often. Hope you are well.
I do disagree with your points made.
Tax payer monies once turned, unless line items are general revenue. But furthermore it’s tax payer money JD, yours and mine. Legally appropriated.
Biden’s been flying illegals all over country. The border towns have people sleeping in streets.
DeSantis rescued illegals, they stopped in Florida and were flown to Martha’s Vineyard. Good deal JD. They received spending money.
You are going deep into conspiracy JD, the Russian plane ? LMAO.
Agree on E verify statute JD. How bout the Dum Dems voting for the $12 million funding in budget. They supported it.
Good to hear from you J D. You are a good and worthy advocate. We disagree on issues but I appreciate your dissertations. I have incoming everywhere. Take care.
marylou
September 23, 2022 at 1:37 pm
Vendor: VERTOL SYSTEMS COMPANY INC
Agency: DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: RELOCATION PROGRAM OF UNAUTHORIZED ALIENS
09/08/2022 D3000103744 615,000.00
09/19/2022 D3000121619 950,000.00
Total 1,565,000.00
marylou
September 23, 2022 at 1:40 pm
$1,565,000.00
to a company that brags on its website that it has the only Russian helicopters in the US.
Comments are closed.