WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis (R) defend the flight the state chartered to Martha's Vineyard that contained processed and released migrants who illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border last year and the new budget that could mean more flights are in the works.
"Well, I would say that some of these folks going to the sanctuary jurisdictions are in much better circumstances than just being stranded somewhere with nowhere to go. It’s not about them, because these are sanctuary jurisdictions that beat their chest, just a few years ago, about how nobody was illegal and all. Now that they’re getting people going there, it’s like this huge problem and they’re complaining about it," DeSantis said.
DeSantis went on to say the flight brought much needed attention to the historic influx of illegal border crossings, pointing to New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) going to the southern border in El Paso, Texas to see the problem firsthand.
"I would love to not have to deal with this at all. But you have a total disaster that's unfolded on that border for two years," he continued. "The root of the problem is what's going on at the border. [The Biden administration] could easily institute different policies."
"I've got enough issues, dealing with people fleeing blue states to manage everybody that's coming here. I can't have people all across the border coming into Florida as well and us being able to handle it, it's too much to handle," he concluded.
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Gov. DeSantis Unveils Florida’s Digital Bill of Rights https://t.co/h0lbBOlHo3
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 15, 2023
DeSantis has been accused of partaking in human trafficking for the flight, though actual human trafficking does take place when migrants are attempting to reach the U.S.-Mexico border. Sometimes they are still in debt to the human smugglers and must work to pay off their debt once they reach their destination within the United States.