The Republican governors of Florida and Texas, Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott, have come under fire from Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York for continuing to use the tactic of bringing migrants to liberal neighborhoods to illustrate how the White House is mismanaging the U.S.-Mexico border in terms of illegal immigration, Newsweek reports.
The latest example of this occurred on Wednesday when 50 migrants, the majority of whom were from Venezuela, were flown to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, as part of a DeSantis-sponsored initiative. According to reports that have surfaced since that time, the migrants were admitted to the nation lawfully as part of an asylum procedure and were duped into boarding the plane.
Ocasio-Cortez, a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party’s progressive side, responded by lambasting the Republican leaders and repeated previous accusations that they engage in human trafficking.
“It’s appalling that far-right politicians seem to have decided that fall before an election is their regularly scheduled time to commit crimes against humanity on refugees,” the congresswoman tweeted Friday night. “Don’t normalize this. Lying to & trafficking people for TV and clicks isn’t politics as usual. It’s abuse.”
She went on to point out the contrast between the current conservative perspective on immigration and the pride many people have in their immigrant forebears.
The Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz tweeted on Saturday that the migrants were being “deported” from Martha’s Vineyard, which was denounced by the congresswoman. The refugees have, however, willingly decided to be brought to Joint Base Cape Cod on the mainland, where employees will be better able to cater to their requirements.
“They were not deported,” she tweeted in response to Cruz. “They were brought to shelter in the US. With no help from you. Why lie to and traffic Venezuelan refugees? For votes? This is nuestra familia Latina. You should be standing up for them. If it’s one thing we can count on you for, it’s being una vergüenza.”
As part of Abbott’s ongoing strategy, seven additional buses transporting migrants seeking refuge landed in New York City from Texas on Saturday afternoon. In addition, DeSantis has promised to keep the migrant-transport program going in spite of recent criticism.
The migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard were greeted with an outpouring of support, despite the claimed goal by GOP leaders to expose the hypocrisies of Democrats’ welcoming of immigration. In addition to setting up shelters and feeding the families, community members also connected them with attorneys to assist them resolve their legal issues.
The offices of DeSantis and Abbott were contacted by Newsweek for a response.
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