- Florida will continue to transport out-of-state migrants, DeSantis’ office confirmed Saturday.
- The program was halted due to the authorities’ response to Hurricane Ian.
- The state paid $1 million to charter migrant flights to Delaware and Illinois, documents show.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ program to relocate migrants from Florida to Democratic-led states is expected to continue, a spokesman for the politician confirmed on Saturday.
Last month, DeSantis and his team helped coordinate a flight of 49 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, to make a political statement about illegal immigration and to advocate for closed border policies. The move was widely criticized by Democrats and opened lawsuits and investigations against the governor.
On Sunday, DeSantis criticized the Biden administration for its immigration policies, while also referencing the Martha’s Vineyard incident at a campaign event in Coral Springs, Florida.
“When millions of people crossed the border, they ignored the problem…they only cared when [migrants] began appearing in DC, New York and Martha’s Vineyard. That’s the only time they care,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis also said he agrees with former President Donald Trump’s border policies that required migrants to wait in Mexico for their U.S. immigration appointments.
“President Trump was right to make them wait at the border, most applications are denied, and then they have to go back to the other countries,” DeSantis said, “but for people to come in, you’ll never hear never speak of them again.”
Taryn Fenske, director of communications for DeSantis, confirmed on Saturday that the flight stunts will continue. Fenske told The Associated Press the program is active as officials responded to Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 hurricane that devastated Florida and other southeastern states.
“While Florida pulled out all the stops to respond to our catastrophic hurricane, the immigration relocation program remains active,” Fenske told The Associated Press.
According to documents released Friday by the Florida Department of Transportation, Florida paid $1 million to set up two more flights to Delaware and Illinois. The flights were scheduled to take place before October 3, but will now take place before December 1, the AP reported.
DeSantis himself declined to say whether further migrant relocations would be in the works after speculation he would send flights to Delaware state President Joe Biden.
Although Republican-led efforts to ferry migrants across the country have bolstered GOP talking points on immigration and border policy, the stunts could open legal avenues for those transported to receive temporary visas. .
A spokesperson for DeSantis did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
