Some Republican governors, including Texas’ Greg Abbott and Arizona’s Doug Ducey, have spent much of the year busing migrants to northern cities. By most measures, the trips have been clumsy political stunts, using desperate people as props.
This week, it appears Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took the campaign in an uglier direction. The Associated Press reported overnight:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday flew two planes of immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, escalating a tactic by Republican governors to draw attention to what they consider to be the Biden administration’s failed border policies. Flights to the upscale island enclave in Massachusetts were part of an effort to “transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations,” said Taryn Fenske, DeSantis’ communications director.
At this point, there are some relevant questions about details that remain murky. The Florida Republican was quick to claim responsibility for shipping the migrants to the small Massachusetts town, but The New York Times reported that the migrants themselves said they had started the day in San Antonio, Texas.
It’s also unclear what the migrants were promised. One told The Vineyard Gazette that they were assured there’d be “work and housing“ when they arrived, raising concerns about who may have lied to them, why, and whether someone perpetrated a fraud as part of this scheme.
As for the financing, a report from a local ABC affiliate added, “It was not immediately clear who paid for the private charter flights to the island; however, the statement from the governor’s spokesperson said the Florida Legislature appropriated $12 million to implement a program to facilitate the transport of undocumented immigrants from the state.”
In other words, it would appear DeSantis and his team may have used taxpayer money to fling desperate migrant families at Martha’s Vineyard as part of an apparent election-season stunt.








