Including whose money is using for the free ride ‘stunts?
A local Texas Sheriff says he’s openin g a criminal investigation about the flights….
The migrants have obtained legal representation against the DeSantis action which they say was misleading…
Is this ‘stunt’ about the DeSantis 2024 Presidential run?
Why is picking on Venezuelan migrants?
“Texas sheriff investigating DeSantis’ role in flying migrants to Martha’s Vineyard,” By POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury: A Texas sheriff on Monday opened an investigation into the legality of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent move to fly dozens of mostly Venezuelan migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, an elected Democrat, said that while he could not cite specific laws that may have been broken by relocating the migrants, his office will be investigating what he called an “abuse of human rights.” The threat of criminal charges is an escalation against DeSantis amid widespread criticism from Democrats as the Republican governor promises to continue diverting migrants in Texas as a statement against Biden administration immigration policies.
THE FINE PRINT— Doubts rise over whether DeSantis had budget authority to fly migrants, by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout: Republican state Sen. Aaron Bean told senators earlier this year — when questioned about an identical provision that appeared in another immigration bill also pushed by the DeSantis administration — that it did not apply to those who were fleeing communist or socialist countries and had requested asylum. “They are here lawfully and the bill would not apply to them,” Bean said during a March floor session. Bean made his comments shortly after state Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Democrat from the Miami area, tried to get assurances that the state did not consider those fleeing countries such as Cuba and Venezuela as an “unauthorized alien.”
FALLOUT — “Migrants who landed on Martha’s Vineyard were tricked by misleading brochure, lawyers say,” by NBC News’ Marc Caputo:“When roughly 50 migrants were flown from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, under a new program by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to highlight illegal immigration, they were given a brochure about housing, cash assistance and jobs for refugees. But there’s one problem with what the brochure was promoting: The migrants aren’t anywhere close to being classified as refugees, a specific term under U.S. immigration law. The implicit promises of help, therefore, were misleading and potentially criminal, according to Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit legal aid group representing 30 of the people who landed on the Massachusetts island last week.”
THE BIG PICTURE — “DeSantis’s migrant flights aim to jolt midterms, and lay groundwork for 2024,” by The New York Times’ Lisa Lerer and Michael C. Bender: “The ambitious governor is betting that the tactic will not hurt his re-election race in Florida, long the nation’s largest political battleground, and will reinject the issue of border security into the midterm contest. As voters remain focused on economic uncertainty and abortion rights, it remains unclear whether immigration will gain a major foothold in the final weeks before the election in November. Yet the move signals that [Gov. Ron] DeSantis could be eyeing a future beyond Florida and aiming to secure his place in the conversation of potential presidential candidates.”….
BREAKING: Migrants flown to Massachusetts file class action lawsuit against DeSantis and other Florida officials in federal court….
Judd Legum…