Ron DeSantis says Gavin Newsom and Biden want ‘open borders’ as he furiously denies backing immigration amnesty in Congress – and claims his Martha’s Vineyard migrant airlift exposed the hypocrisy of ‘liberal elites’

Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis clashed with California Governor Gavin Newsom over immigration and the border in their debate on Thursday evening, accusing the Democrat and President Joe Biden of supporting “open borders.”

During the debate, moderated by Fox News host Sean Hannity, Newsom claimed DeSantis while a member of Congress “supported amnesty” for migrants who entered the country illegally.

“You supported John Boehner's bill… You supported Obama's efforts to enact comprehensive reforms,” ​​Newsom said, calling DeSantis “the last person you want to talk to about the immigration issue.”

DeSantis, who served as a U.S. House representative from 2013 to 2019 before running for governor, labeled that claim “false” and said he “killed John Boehner's bill.”

'It's déjà vu again with that stream of lies. This is a man who says the Biden administration is not lying to the public about the border,” the Republican said. 'We know that's not true. Gavin Newsom is lying to you.”

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis (left) clashed with California Governor Gavin Newsom (right) on Thursday evening over immigration and the border

Asked about Newsom's comments, a spokesperson for the Democrat pointed out DailyMail.com to a Conference quarterly report article showing that DeSantis initially supported Boehner's immigration measure in 2014, but later withdrew support and voted “no.”

Newsom's spokesman also quoted DeSantis' 2018 vote in favor of H.R. 4760, saying it “would have allowed DACA recipients to apply for three-year, renewable legal status as nonimmigrants.”

That measure, which was also supported by a majority of Republicans, was not adopted after receiving no votes of support from Democrats.

During Thursday's debate, Newsom also grilled DeSantis about his controversial move last year to fly dozens of migrants from the Texas border to Martha's Vineyard, and a subsequent similar airlift to California.

“Your immigration policy can best be described as a governor of the state of Florida going to another state, the state of Texas, lying to immigrants, promising them jobs and housing, sending them to an island, Martha's Vineyard, and then sending them to a parking lot in Sacramento, California,” Newsom said.

“I met those migrants you lied to under false pretenses. That kind of gamesmanship, using people as pawns, I think is disqualifying,” the Democrat added.

“He's the last man standing on stage tonight talking about the issue of immigration reform,” Newsom concluded.

DeSantis fired back: “Martha's Vineyard said it was a sanctuary.”

September 2022: A Venezuelan migrant responds to volunteers on the island of Martha's Vineyard. DeSantis flew 48 migrants from Texas to the island, leaving them stranded

An aerial view of asylum-seeking migrants lining up to be transported to a U.S. Border Patrol processing center on November 30, 2023 in Jacumba Hot Springs, California

An Ecuadorian mother walks with her two daughters, ages four and six, toward a makeshift camp where they will wait to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents in California on Thursday.

He compared the airlift to an infamous incident in which Newsom attended a birthday celebration at the upscale French Laundry restaurant while imposing strict pandemic restrictions on ordinary Californians.

'These liberal elites like to impose burdens on you. They don't want to face the consequences of their actions,” DeSantis said.

“So we have a lot of elites who want open borders, who lecture everyone, and once they have to deal with the consequences, oh man, all hell breaks loose and they get upset,” he added.

Debate host Fox News labeled the 90-minute affair “The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate'.

It was held in a television studio without an audience in Georgia, a location chosen for its most significant implications for the swing state in national politics.

And it played out in the heart of the presidential primary season, with voters in both parties paying more attention to their 2024 options heading into next fall's general election.

DeSantis, 45, is seeking the Republican nomination for president but is trailing far behind front-runner Donald Trump in the polls, a fact Newsom repeatedly emphasized during the debate.

The debate was held in a television studio without an audience in Georgia, a location chosen for its key swing-state implications for national politics

Newsom, the 56-year-old governor of California, has positioned himself to one day seek the Democratic nomination for president.

But like the rest of his party's most ambitious leaders, he declined to challenge Biden for the 2024 nomination.

Instead, he has emerged as a leading defender of Biden and a formal campaign adviser.

He embraced that role Thursday night after DeSantis said he was “joined at the hip with Biden and (Vice President Kamala) Harris.”

Later, Florida's governor said Biden, at 80, is “in decline” and represents “a danger to the country.”

“I'm proud of the work Biden and Harris have done,” Newsom said as he scrolled through unemployment statistics. “I'll take Joe Biden at 100 over Ron DeSantis any day of the week and at any age.”