Florida Gov. DeSantis: Flights Sent Migrants to 'Greener Pastures' Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis (Getty Images)
By Jay Clemons | Thursday, 15 September 2022 02:09 PM EDT
On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly addressed his Wednesday decision to help send two planes carrying illegal immigrants to Martha's Vineyard, saying his state was simply doing its part to accommodate the northeast cities and states which proudly trumpet its own "sanctuary" status.
"Our message to [migrants] is we are not a sanctuary state, and it's better to go to a 'sanctuary' jurisdiction," said the Florida Republican. "And yes, we will facilitate the transfer for you to go to greener pastures."
DeSantis' comments took place during a "Florida for Truckers" speech, and elicited applause from the crowd.
The governor then lamented the left-leaning politicians and liberals who were once "beating their chests" during the Trump administration, saying they would gladly take in migrants — perhaps just to spite then-President Donald Trump.
DeSantis reasoned that places like the Massachusetts beach community of Martha's Vineyard have incurred "but a small fraction" of migrants, compared to the thousands of illegal immigrants making daily crossing into towns along the United States-Mexico border.
However, when the migrants "are brought to the [liberals'] front door, they go berserk," said DeSantis, before adding, "It shows you they're virtue-signaling is a fraud."
DeSantis, who's up for reelection this November, has reportedly funded $12 million for a migrant relocation program that intends to "send undocumented migrants to sanctuary cities and states" around the country.
According to Kellan Howell, a White House reporter for Newsy, DeSantis also said on Thursday, "We take what's happening at the southern border very seriously. Unlike some, and unlike the President of the United States, who's refused to lift a finger at that border."
As Newsmax chronicled on Wednesday, charter flights began arriving to Martha's Vineyard in the afternoon; and according to flight records, the charter flights originated in Texas and also made a secondary stop to load migrants from Florida's panhandle.
There were an estimated 50 Venezuelan migrants, including some children, brought to Martha's Vineyard Regional High School for snacks and shelter before being cared for by migrant shelters in Edgartown, Massachusetts, according to WCVB-TV in Boston.
Martha's Vineyard has the reputation for being an upscale vacation destination and weekend escape for wealthy progressives living on the East Coast.
A few years ago, former President Barack Obama purchased a waterfront mansion on Martha's Vineyard, reportedly for $15 million.
While sharing stories from his book, "The Price of Principle: Why Integrity Is Worth the Consequences," Alan Dershowitz, a professor emeritus at Harvard Law School and one of this nation's foremost authorities on the U.S. Constitution, has repeatedly told Newsmax he has been "ostracized" on the island for defending former President Trump's impeachment proceedings, and also and not toeing the line of liberalism.