Florida officials confirmed Tuesday that Gov. Ron DeSantis was behind two migrant flights from New Mexico to Sacramento on Friday and Saturday.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management has released footage of what it says are those migrants being transported on private planes, listening to music, signing waivers and generally appearing to be having a good time.
The Florida governor’s transportation of some three dozen migrants to California is the latest stunt in which asylum seekers who entered through the southern border have been moved north to Democrat-run “sanctuary cities.”
“We made it to California,” one migrant said in a selfie video that revealed behind him the turboprop DeHavilland plane he and the others had arrived on.
“Thank God, very thankful to God,” he said in Spanish as he stood on the tarmac of Sacramento Executive Airport.
In a statement accompanying the footage, a spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management said the move was voluntary
In a portion of a video shared by Florida officials, a man records himself getting off a plane and thanking God while standing on the tarmac in what appears to be Sacramento Executive Airport
The video was released by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and uploaded to Rumble.
In an accompanying statement, Alecia Collins, the communications director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said the move was voluntary.
“As you can see in this video, Florida’s voluntary move is just that: voluntary,” Collins wrote.
It is not clear exactly who took the videos and photos, but some appear to have been taken by the alleged migrants themselves. None of the people featured in the video were unidentified and the video contained no description.
Other parts of the video show the alleged migrants in the back of a bus cheering, blowing music and showing peace signs with their hands.
At one point they are asked in Spanish, “Have you ever felt that you were treated badly?”
“No, they treated us very well,” one person responds.
Migrants were photographed in transit from New Mexico to Sacramento
California officials said on Tuesday that the transportation of the migrants was facilitated by Vertol Systems Company
Groups of alleged migrants were seen in the back of a bus playing music and making the peace sign with their hands
The migrants, mainly from Venezuela but also from Colombia, arrived in two flights in Sacramento, the capital of California. A video released by Florida officials shows people claiming to be migrants boarding a plane
“Through oral and written consent, these volunteers have indicated their intent to go to California,” Collins wrote.
‘A contractor was present and made sure they arrived safely at an external NGO. The specific NGO, Catholic Charities, is operated and funded by the federal government.”
Venezuelan and Colombian migrants entering the US via Texas were transported by private plane to Sacramento, California, and departed outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento.
California officials said Tuesday that the transportation of the migrants was facilitated by Vertol Systems Company, a private company that also arranged planeloads of Venezuelan migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard last year.
The migrants, mostly from Venezuela but also from Colombia, arrived in Sacramento, California’s capital, in two flights – the first with 16 on Friday and another with 20 on Monday.
More than a dozen Venezuelan and Colombian migrants who entered the US via Texas were transported by private plane to Sacramento, California, and departed outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, pictured
California Governor Newsom tweeted to Ron DeSantis on Monday, saying, “You little pathetic man. This ain’t Martha’s Vineyard’
California Governor Gavin Newsom attacked DeSantis on Monday, calling him a “little pathetic man” and threatening kidnapping charges against his government on Twitter.
He said he was working with the California Department of Justice to determine if there was anything criminal about the orchestration of the flights, including who paid for the group’s travel and “whether the individuals who orchestrated this trip misled anyone with false promises.” or have violated a criminal’. laws, including kidnapping.”
The governor of California tweeted to Ron DeSantis on Monday, saying, “You pathetic little man. This isn’t Martha’s Vineyard.” He was referring to DeSantis’ decision to send a group of migrants to Massachusetts last year.
In Tuesday’s statement, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management suggested that the criticism from California officials was unfair.
“From leftist mayors in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, the displacement of those illegally crossing the United States border is not new,” the statement read.
“But suddenly when Florida sends illegal aliens to sanctuary, it’s false imprisonment and kidnapping.”