After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent a pair of planes filled with illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday, the backlash was swift.
DeSantis, though, had a simple response for his critics.
“The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door they all of a sudden go berserk and they’re so upset that this is happening. It just shows you their virtue-signaling is a fraud,” he said at a Thursday news conference.
NEW: Gov. Ron DeSantis comments on sending migrants to Martha’s Vineyard
“The minute even a SMALL FRACTION of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to [Democrats’] front door, they all of a sudden go berserk… Their virtue signaling is a fraud.” pic.twitter.com/pBub2x6kTG
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) September 15, 2022
“We’re not a sanctuary state. We don’t have benefits or any of that,” DeSantis added. “There are some sanctuary jurisdictions, and that would be better. Now, what would be the best is for [President Joe] Biden to do his damn job and secure the border.”
Among DeSantis’ critics was Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who announced that he was “formally requesting the [Department of Justice] begin an immediate investigation into these inhumane efforts to use kids as political pawns.”
What @GovRonDeSantis and @GregAbbott_TX are doing isn’t clever, it’s cruel.
I’m formally requesting the DOJ begin an immediate investigation into these inhumane efforts to use kids as political pawns. pic.twitter.com/x2sBa06nSw
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 15, 2022
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a news briefing that “the children that Gov. DeSantis abandoned … deserve better than being left on the streets.”
KJP: “The children that Governor DeSantis abandoned…deserve better than being left on the streets of D.C. or Martha’s Vineyard.” pic.twitter.com/aUiZntW2Jj
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 15, 2022
DeSantis addressed Biden’s border policy at length on Thursday.
“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.
“You’ve had millions and millions of people pouring across illegally, record amount of fentanyl coming into our country. It is absolutely killing Americans in record numbers. Of course, you have criminal aliens.”
“It’s not the way you run a country,” the Florida Republican added.
DeSantis pointed out that the Biden administration has been flying illegal immigrants from border cities to areas all over the country for months.
“I would just note Biden would fly people in the middle of the night, dump them all across this country. There was no warning on any of this. They’re doing it and they’re farming people out all around,” he said.
“They are supporting policies that are just frankly indefensible,” DeSantis stated. “It is not defensible for a superpower to not have any control over the territory of its country.”
