Ron DeSantis is the latest politician to ferry immigrants to Democratic strongholds across the country. The influential Republican governor of Florida on Wednesday claimed responsibility for sending two migrant planes to a posh island in the northeast of the United States.
A group of about 50 Venezuelan migrants, including children, arrived Wednesday at Martha’s Vineyard, a vacation spot for the wealthy who have hosted the Kennedys, the Clintons or the Obamas, according to the local daily. MV Times. Although the governor of Florida organized this transport, the migrant planes arrived from Texas and not from his state, according to the newspaper.
“Many do not know where they are”
“Migrants are being landed at Martha’s Vineyard by charter flights from Texas. Many don’t know where they are. They say they were told they would be given housing and jobs,” local Democrat elected official Dylan Fernandes tweeted late Wednesday.
“Our island has mobilized” by providing beds, meals and care, he added, specifying that the inhabitants had not been warned in advance of this arrival. Immigration policy, an explosive subject in the United States, is even more so a few weeks before high-stakes midterm elections, the Republicans accusing President Joe Biden of having turned the border with Mexico into a sieve .
A potential Trump rival
Ron DeSantis, who took responsibility for this transport through the voice of members of his team, thus joins a movement launched by the Republican governors of Texas and Arizona, determined to send migrants to Democratic cities in the North and east, in a very political gesture aimed at their constituents.
Ron DeSantis is campaigning for re-election in November. He is also seen as a potential rival for former President Donald Trump in the race for the White House in 2024. “Residents of Martha’s Vineyard should be thrilled,” Christina Pushaw, of the communication from the Governor of Florida. “Illegal migrants will make the city more diverse, which is a strength. Nope ? »
“Democratic leaders must come down from their ivory tower”
The very conservative Governor of Texas Greg Abbott, a pioneer of this initiative and also campaigning for his re-election, for his part sent two migrant buses near the residence of Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris, who arrived in Washington on Thursday morning , according to Fox News.
Transporting these migrants to Martha’s Vineyard and Washington “was a necessity”, commented Andy Biggs, elected Republican from Arizona in the House of Representatives. “Democratic leaders must come down from their ivory tower and face reality. Since April, Texas has sent about 10,000 migrants to Washington, New York and most recently Chicago, according to the governor’s office.