Earlier this week, DeSantis mimicked his Texas and Arizona counterparts in sending over groups of migrants to Democrat-led cities up north in protest of the Biden Administration’s border policies.
Newsom and other Democratic leaders have slammed the move as playing with people’s lives, with the California governor challenging DeSantis to a debate ahead of the midterm elections.
‘Hey @GovRonDeSantis, clearly you’re struggling, distracted, and busy playing politics with people’s lives,’ Newsom tweeted on Friday.
‘Since you have only one overriding need – attention – let’s take this up & debate,’ Newsom said in response to a tweet from Dan Rather asking CNN to set up a debate between the two governors.
‘I’ll bring my hair gel. You bring your hairspray,’ he added, referring to DeSantis’ quip earlier that day that Newsom’s ‘hair gel is interfering with his brain function’ when the California governor criticized his actions.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (left) challenged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (right) to a debate over his decision to fly 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. DeSantis said his state is ready to commit $12 million to fly more migrants to Democrat-led cities up north
Newsom’s challenge comes as DeSantis continued to defend flying the migrants over to Martha’s Vineyard and said his state has a $12 million budget ready to relocate more immigrants up north, CNN reported.
‘These are just the beginning efforts,’ DeSantis said in a news conference on Friday. ‘We’ve got an infrastructure in place now. There’s going to be a lot more that’s happening.’
The Florida governor said he may even collaborate with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who began the wave of busing thousands of migrants to New York City, Seattle and Washington D.C.
DeSantis has accused critics of his move of ‘virtue signaling’, saying their concern for the welfare of the migrants was a ‘fraud’.
He said: ‘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.’
The Republican also disputed claims that the migrants didn’t know where they were being sent to, saying his office made them sign a waiver and provided maps of Martha’s Vineyard.
‘It’s obvious that’s where they were going,’ he said, adding, ‘It’s all voluntary.’
DeSantis defended his actions and claimed that the migrants knew exactly where they were going and voluntarily signed up for the trip
Pictured: A group of 50 migrants enjoyed Venezuelan dishes at the military base after Martha’s Vineyard declared an emergency over the group’s arrival
About 150 National Guard members were called in to transport the migrants from the island to the Cape Cod Military base 32 miles away
Along with Newsom, DeSantis has received much criticism from the left over his actions.
US Rep Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, accused DeSantis of orchestrating a political ploy with the lives of the migrants.
‘Playing politics with people’s lives is what governors like George Wallace did during segregation,’ Moulton said, referring to Wallace’s tactics of tricking black Southerners to move north. ‘Ron DeSantis is trying to earn George Wallace’s legacy.’
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also took aim at DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a press conference today, urging other Republicans who do not agree with their ‘blueprint’ to ‘speak up’.
She said: ‘This is an issue and we have been clear about this, this is an issue that is inhumane it is abhorrent and we should not be using people, migrants, who are fleeing communism as a political pawn.’
Even former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chimed in, calling the transportation of the migrants ‘inhumane’ and lickening it to ‘human trafficking.’
It was a warm meal for the migrants who were relocated from Martha’s Vineyard to the Joint Base Cape Cod, Pictured: A mom carrying her kids to be bussed off to the base
The migrants are momentarily settling down after days of confusion that began when they were brought to a Florida airport to be shipped off to Massachusetts
Despite the allegations levied against DeSantis, the majority of migrants who were sent over to Massachusetts appeared to just be happy to be given shelter and food.
The migrants, most of whom are from Venezuela, are currently being housed in the Joint Base Cape Cod after Martha’s Vineyard issued an emergency order and called in about 150 National Guard troops to help relocate the immigrants.
Lisa Belcastro, homelessness director of the island, claimed that the affluent area has a ‘housing crisis.’
Her claims were backed by Gov. Charlie Baker, who said that Martha’s Vineyard, with a population of 15,000, is ‘not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation’ to the migrants.
The migrant issue comes after Abbott sent 101 migrants outside of VP Kamala Harris’ home in Washington DC yesterday – just days after she declared that the border was ‘secure’.
Texas has seen the brunt of the flood of new migrants arriving at the border, and nearly 1,000 migrants have been released to sleep on the streets of El Paso due to the surge of illegal crossings that is overwhelming Border Patrol facilities.
DeSantis is now upping the escalating immigration war again in Democrat-run areas by threatening to fly more migrants to President Biden’s home state of Delaware, as Lt. Gov Jeanette Nunez doubled down on the plan Thursday.
Republicans have stepped up their attacks on the Biden administration as they try to make immigration the theme of November’s midterm elections.