DeSantis Secures Major Funding for His Migrant Programs

Photo byPhoto 145356576 / Desantis © Zhukovsky | Dreamstime.com

Flying migrants to other states has become a new sport in Florida.

While falling millions of migrants behind states like California, New Jersey, and New York, Florida has been the loudest state on this issue. DeSantis is flying asylum seekers to luxury resorts across the country, leaving them in total distress. And Republicans can't seem to get enough.

To be fair, Florida is the 4th state by the number of migrant arrivals. This is a problem. But the solution isn't in political stunts and displacing innocent people for personal gains.

More funding is on the way

The Republican supermajority in the legislature has given the administration another $10 million to transport migrants from other states, less than five months after the state of Florida spent about $1.5 million to fly about 50 migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard. The move is still being contested in court.

On a party-line vote, the state GOP lawmakers approved the bill granting the state extensive authority to locate and relocate migrants in other states to so-called immigration "sanctuary cities" outside of Florida.

The legislation doesn't specify how state contractors will identify migrants, tell them where they're going, or whether the state will work with local authorities in cities where immigrants are transported.

Since the bill doesn't specify whether state officials will cooperate with federal immigration authorities, little is known about the mechanics of how DeSantis' migrant transit program will function.

Federal immigration law mandates that immigrants who are paroled into the country must later appear in court for a hearing.

Democrats attempted to amend the legislation to ensure that migrants are willingly transferred and informed of their new location, potential immigration consequences, and what awaits them there. The word "voluntary" is absent from the law, despite Republican claims that they will only transfer immigrants who voluntarily consent.

In September last year, Vertol Systems received a contract from the DeSantis administration to charter the planes from Texas to Martha's Vineyard.

Legislators passed the measure in an emergency special session a week after DeSantis proposed a $12 million budget for next year to improve the program to relocate immigrants outside Florida.

What do you think about DeSantis's political stunts?

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