California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has accused Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) of “kidnapping” 16 migrants flown from New Mexico to Sacramento, California. Newsom, a regular antagonist of conservative leaders, seems to be taking the offensive to new, unfounded heights.
The 16 migrants, originating from Venezuela and Colombia, were transported from El Paso to New Mexico before their flight to Sacramento, according to the Los Angeles Times. They were received by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento. California’s Attorney General, Rob Bonta, pointed the finger at Florida’s government, implicating them in this unexpected migrant transfer.
“State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting,” Bonta declared, without providing substantial proof. He suggests that the migrants carried documentation from Florida without showing evidence of the charge.
Bonta told The Los Angeles Times, “The governor signed it, the Legislature approved to fund it in the budget, and they hired Vertol Systems Co., a vendor, to carry out the work.” Again, assumptions seem to fill in for hard facts.
Newsom took his grievances to social media on Monday, calling out Governor DeSantis for alleged kidnapping. He tweeted, “@RonDeSantis, you small, pathetic man. This isn’t Martha’s Vineyard. Kidnapping charges?”
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DeSantis, a man not averse to controversial policies, has relocated migrants to unexpected places. Last fall, he sent a planeload of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, a well-known retreat for the Democratic elite, challenging their open-arms immigration policy. Yet, connecting these past actions to this recent incident appears speculative at best.
Newsom’s propensity for sniping at conservative governors, especially DeSantis, is no secret. Yet his latest charges of “kidnapping” seem more part of his social media theatrics than grounded in verifiable facts. Even as he accuses DeSantis of these unfounded charges, he remains silent on California’s welfare policies toward migrants, a pertinent subject for his constituency.
While California authorities continue to investigate, no documents have been released proving Florida’s involvement in this particular event.
