California law enforcement intercepted a second plane in Sacramento carrying relocated migrants, as DeSantis remains mum about his involvement
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images and Sean Rayford/Getty Images
- A second flight carrying roughly 20 migrants landed in Sacramento on Monday.
- Another plane arrived over the weekend.
- Officials suspect Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is behind it.
A second plane carrying roughly 20 migrants landed in Sacramento, California, on Monday, and the people involved were carrying paperwork that links them to Florida, the California attorney general's office said.
Special agents from the California Department of Justice were on the ground with the migrants at the airport, representatives from the office told Insider.
Monday's revelation comes after 16 migrants from Venezuela and Colombia arrived by plane on Friday and were dropped off at a Catholic church.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is also a 2024 presidential candidate, has yet to speak publicly about the matter. His office did not reply to a series of questions from Insider, but in September the governor acknowledged his administration orchestrated another plane carrying 49 migrants from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
DeSantis frequently rolls out surprise announcements that create backlash — enough to gin up national headlines that cause liberals to seethe, while endearing himself to conservatives.
The paperwork in question showed Florida's emergency division, as well as contractor Vertol Systems Company, administered the travel. A representative from Florida's emergency division confirmed the office hadn't released a statement about the flights but didn't respond to a list of questions from Insider.
DeSantis frequently boasts about the Martha's Vineyard stunt in speeches, including on the 2024 presidential campaign trail.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested on Twitter that investigators were considering kidnapping charges under the state's laws and called DeSantis a "small, pathetic man."
He and California Attorney General Rob Bonta have already said they think DeSantis is responsible for the flights. Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Bonta accused DeSantis of demonstrating "pettiness, lack of substance," as well as "xenophobia," "discrimination and racism."
Asked to weigh in Monday, before news of the second flight was made public, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the practice of relocating migrants "dangerous and unacceptable."
"You're putting a lot of pressure on these state and local areas," she said in a press conference.
If DeSantis is behind the latest round of flights, it would show he was taking direct aim at Newsom, who has criticized DeSantis' policies and whose government is centered in Sacramento, the state's capital. Newsom is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, perhaps even a presidential contender someday, but has said he fully supports President Joe Biden's reelection bid.
In an interview with Insider in April, Newsom called DeSantis' actions on numerous matters, including immigration, "performative" and "very destructive."
DeSantis is scheduled to go to Sacramento for a fundraiser on June 19, according to the Sacramento Bee. The governor has accused localities who say they support illegal immigration of being hypocrites on the matter, arguing that blue states virtue signal on undocumented migration, while border states take on the vast majority of aid and are overwhelmed.
In recent weeks DeSantis expanded restrictions on undocumented workers in Florida and allocated $12 million toward migrant relocation programs. DeSantis has framed the policies as a direct response to Biden's immigration policies, saying that the president turned a "blind eye" to the issue.
DeSantis has promised that if elected president he would resume the border wall between the US and Mexico and reinstitute the "remain in Mexico" policy, which requires migrants to wait across the border until their asylum cases can be heard.
DeSantis is the top 2024 nomination rival to President Donald Trump, whose hard-line, anti-immigration rhetoric and actions whipped up his base and led to numerous lawsuits and public backlash.