Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is responding to a Texas sheriff’s decision to launch an investigation into the flights taking migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
During an appearance on Fox News Monday night, DeSantis told host Sean Hannity, “Millions of people since Biden has been president illegally coming across the southern border. Did they freak out about that? No.”
He added, “You’ve had migrants die in the Rio Grande. You had 50 die in Texas in a trailer because they were being neglected. Was there a freak out about that? No, there wasn’t.”
DeSantis noted there have been “criminal aliens get across that southern border, and victimize Americans, killing some, raping some, was there any type of outrage about that? No.”
He continued, “And then of course, we know fentanyl deaths are at an all time high. Where’s that fentanyl coming from? It’s coming over the open southern border.”
According to DeSantis, all of the migrants “signed consent forms to go” to Martha’s Vineyard.
The governor explained, “And then the vendor that is doing this for Florida, provided them with a packet that had a map of Martha’s Vineyard, it had the numbers for different services on Martha’s Vineyard and then it had numbers for the overall agencies in Massachusetts that handle things involving immigration and refugees.”
DeSantis argued it was “clearly voluntary, and all the other nonsense you’re hearing is just not true.”
Watch his comments below:
San Antonio’s Bexar County Sheriff, Javier Salazar, made the announcement about the investigation on Monday.
“The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation into the migrants that were lured from the Migrant Resource Center, located in Bexar County, TX, and flown to Florida, where they were ultimately left to fend for themselves in Martha’s Vineyard, MA,” the office tweeted.
The statement continues, “Additionally, we are working with private attorneys who are representing the victims, as well as advocacy organizations regarding this incident. We are also preparing to work with any federal agencies that have concurrent jurisdiction, should the need arise.”
Additionally, we are working with private attorneys who are representing the victims, as well as advocacy organizations regarding this incident. We are also preparing to work with any federal agencies that have concurrent jurisdiction, should the need arise.
— Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (@BexarCoSheriff) September 19, 2022
Additionally, a spokesperson for DeSantis’s office issued a statement responding to the investigation.
“Immigrants have been more than willing to leave Bexar County after being abandoned, homeless, and ‘left to fend for themselves.’ Florida gave them an opportunity to seek greener pastures in a sanctuary jurisdiction that offered greater resources for them, as we expected, ” the spokesperson said.
They continued, “Unless the MA national guard has abandoned these individuals, they have been provided accommodations, sustenance, clothing and more options to succeed following their unfair enticement into the United States, unlike the 53 immigrants who died in a truck found abandoned in Bexar County this June.”
The roughly 50 migrants arrived in Martha’s Vineyard last week.