WASHINGTON DC (KERO) — California Governor Gavin Newsom pushed back on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after about 50 migrants at the border were transported from Texas to Massachusetts using $12 million dollars that Texas lawmakers approved in this year’s state budget.
“What Ron DeSantis is doing is a disgrace,” said Newsom. “It’s almost monstrous.”
Newsom mentioned that both he and DeSantis have children the age of some of the transported migrants, accusing DeSantis and other Republican governors of using those children as political pawns and a fundraising stunt.
DeSantis defended his actions as an act of protest against the president and Democrats in Congress and their policies on the migrant crisis.
“I think people want to see that we’re actually standing up and trying to protect the state against Biden’s really, really reckless policies,” said DeSantis.
DeSantis said that Florida has people on the ground in Texas who are identifying migrants who are interested in heading to Florida and offering them free transport to sanctuary jurisdictions instead. The Florida governor said those sent to Martha’s Vineyard volunteered to go.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott defended DeSantis’ actions.
“In any one sector in the state of Texas, we have more than 5,000 people coming across that sector every single day,” said Abbott.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also spoke about the actions taken by DeSantis and Abbott, saying the migrants were treated like cattle after learning that some of the migrants told outlets they were coerced onto the flights and didn’t know where they were headed.
“These were children. They were moms. They were fleeing communism,” said Jean-Pierre. “And what did Governor DeSantis and Governor Abbott do to them? They used them as political pawns. Treated them like chattel in a cruel, premeditated political stunt.”
