Jared Kushner: DeSantis Made 'Political Pawns' of Martha's Vineyard Migrants (Newsmax)
By Jay Clemons | Thursday, 22 September 2022 06:36 PM EDT
Former White House adviser Jared Kushner recently characterized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' role in sending approximately 50 illegal immigrants to the Massachusetts beach community of Martha's Vineyard as "very troubling."
Kushner, who served in the Trump White House and is the son-in-law to former President Donald Trump, said DeSantis' move might have called attention to the immigration problems at the United States-Mexico border, but it still missed the mark with him.
"I personally watch what's happening, and it's very hard to see at the southern border. … We have to remember that these are human beings, they're people, so seeing them being used as political pawns one way or the other is very troubling to me," said Kushner on Tuesday, while appearing on Fox News.
A number of Democratic Party leaders have already spoken out against DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, regarding the Martha's Vineyard incident.
Some questioned the rationale of sending migrants to a small island community, even though Martha's Vineyard boasts of having "sanctuary" city status.
Other Democratic leaders have argued that large sanctuary cities, such as New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., don't have the "infrastructure" to accommodate a surge of unannounced migrants.
"People don't talk enough about the fact that these people are lured into these journeys by the [human] coyotes, they're paying a lot of money," said Kushner. "I think 80% of women are sexually assaulted along the way. They come into America, they don't have papers, many of them are exploited … so it’s a very sad situation."
Kushner then added: "Under President Trump, we had the lowest border crossings in history when he turned over the administration. The border was secure. It was very safe."
The above statement pertains more to President Joe Biden, and the post-Trump White House policies with the southern border.
DeSantis criticism aside, Kushner hopes the latest problems at the border — in terms of U.S. officials encountering 150,000-plus illegal crossings for 17 consecutive months — will reignite talks of finishing President Trump's border wall, which extends from Texas to California.
A finished wall would "prevent a lot of death and prevent a lot of sexual exploitation," reasons Kushner.