Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis is pretending flights of asylum-seeking children and other migrants into Florida are a scandal, despite the fact that they’ve routinely happened under numerous administrations. That includes the previous one. We all know very well why Ron didn’t dare say anything then.
The governor’s newly found outrage includes pushing forward an anti-immigrant bill that blocks transportation companies from bringing these kids and adults into the state. Republicans approved that bill in committee just a couple days ago. There appears to be a hiccup, though. “No business that the governor's office has identified so far has state contracts or gets money from the state, records show,” Politico reports.
“The spreadsheet included the name of six companies, most of which are relatively little-known airlines or charter flight companies,” the report said. “None that could be identified by POLITICO currently receive payments from the state for any services, or have active state contracts, according to the state records.” The outlet reported it received the list of federal vendors through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which in turn would not say how it got its data.
Not that it’ll really make any difference should the list be confirmed. Sure, Florida under Ron’s watch is, in just one example, facing an affordable housing crisis, but his priority is ushering through hateful legislation that also expands a law that a court has previously said was tinged with “discriminatory motives.”
This is no mistake, because Republicans are intentionally inflaming their supporters, leading to a mob recently showing up to an Orlando hotel because they were convinced migrants were being transported there. “FOX 35 News investigated and found those claims to be false,” a report said. They actually turned out to be H-2A agricultural workers, which the crowd said was fine. How kind. I bet they’ve had no problem with undocumented workers picking their food either.
Immigration reform advocacy group America’s Voice said Tuesday that these flights have “been the standard part of the asylum process for the last 20 plus years, but Republicans are looking to the images as revelations on some new ‘secret’ plot.” Republican House Leader Elise Stefanik has also been all over it:
Florida is also among the states taking part in a Texas-led lawsuit seeking to block legal pathways for Central American children to reunite with parents who are already in the U.S. and have legal status. It’s a smart and humane program that has allowed thousands of kids to embrace their parents again and avoid a dangerous journey north, so Texas, Florida, and other Republican-led states want it shut down. These GOP-led efforts are political, yes, but they will also have real consequences for immigrants and their families.
This is a cruel, violent, and racist party that seeks to exonerate the white domestic terrorists who tried to overturn an election on Jan. 6 while claiming that asylum-seekers are the real danger to our nation. Go look in the mirror, Ron, because the danger is you.
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