‘Their virtue signaling is a fraud’: DeSantis mocks critics of his Martha’s Vineyard migrant move

Florida’s governor accused critics of his move to fly migrants to Martha’s Vineyard of ‘virtue signaling’, saying their concern for the welfare of the migrants was a ‘fraud’ – as California’s governor said he should be investigated for possible kidnapping.

Ron DeSantis on Wednesday chartered a plane to send 50 people, mainly Venezuelans, to the exclusive Massachusetts holiday island. 

The move sparked outrage among Democrats and human rights groups, who accused him of playing politics with peoples’ lives and tricking the migrants with promises of expedited work permits if they boarded the plane.

On Thursday night, CNN reported that the migrants were in Texas, and then flown to Martha’s Vineyard. Many said they had no idea where they were going. 

Charlie Crist, the former governor of Florida who is now seeking to unseat DeSantis, called him a ‘monster’ for ‘using children as a stunt’.

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, wrote to the Department of Justice to request that DeSantis be investigated for kidnapping.

But DeSantis, widely considered to be contemplating a run for the White House in 2024, was defiant.

DeSantis flew in the two planes without giving any warning, sparking criticism from Democrats – including New York Mayor Eric Adams

School buses were used to get the group of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, to the church that provided shelter

‘We take what’s happening at the southern border very seriously, unlike some, and unlike the president of the United States, who has refused to lift a finger to secure that border,’ he said on Thursday.

‘And you have had millions and millions of people pouring across illegally – a record amount of fentanyl coming into our country. It is absolutely killing Americans in record numbers.

‘Of course you have criminal aliens, but just the sheer number of people is just not the way you run a country.’

Many of the migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally hope to travel to Florida, which has a large and well-established Hispanic community.

DeSantis, however, emphasized on Thursday that his state was not a welcoming place for those in the country illegally.

He said he had decided – like the governors of Texas and Arizona, who pioneered the transportation of migrants – to pay for their journey to a state that offered protection to illegal immigrants.

In 2017, Massachusetts’ top state court ruled that Massachusetts court officers do not have the authority to arrest someone suspected of being in the U.S. illegally if that person is not facing criminal charges, effectively giving the state sanctuary status.

Migrants are seen receiving food and supplies from local volunteers on Wednesday 

The Venezuelan arrivals are seen in the affluent town on Wednesday 

‘If you have folks who are inclined to think Florida is a good place [to settle], our message to them is we are not a sanctuary state, and it’s better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction,’ DeSantis told the crowd.

‘And yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures.’

DeSantis said it was ironic that those politicians who backed sanctuary cities then complained about migrants arriving in their states.

‘The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they go berserk, and they’re so upset that this is happening,’ he said.

‘And it just shows you that their virtue-signaling is a fraud.

‘Now what would be best is for Biden to do his damn job and secure the border.’

Newsom, meanwhile, announced that he has formally requested the Department of Justice to investigate what he calls ‘inhumane efforts’ by the governors of Florida, Texas and Arizona to transport migrants away from their states.

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, said that DeSantis should be investigated for kidnapping

Newsom tweeted his letter, which reads: ‘I urge US DOJ to investigate whether the alleged fraudulent inducement would support charges of kidnapping under relevant state laws, which could serve as a predicate offense for charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) provisions of the Organized Crime Control Act.’

In a letter to Merrick Garland, the attorney general, he said he was ‘horrified at the images of migrants being shipped on buses and planes across the country to be used as political props.’