Texas sheriff, California officials call on DOJ to investigate Florida over migrant flights

Texas and California officials are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Florida for flying migrants from Texas to Sacramento and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. They say migrants were lured under false pretenses. What You Need To Know Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland calling on him to investigate Florida for flying migrants from Texas to Sacramento and Martha's Vineyard The letter claims migrants were promised housing and job opportunities but those things never materialized In June, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said that three dozen migrants whom the state flew from the U.S. southern border to California on private planes all went willingly The letter calls for federal criminal and civil investigations In September 2022, 49 migrants were flown from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard. More recently, two groups of migrants were transported from El Paso, Texas, to California’s capital. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. Bexar County includes San Antonio. “It is not uncommon for local jurisdictions and nongovernmental organizations to facilitate onward travel from the border for people to connect with family or friends elsewhere in the United States after they are processed and released by federal immigration officials and are pursuing their immigration cases as required by the law,” the letter reads in part. “But this scheme is different: according to news reports, recruiters deceived migrants into taking flights to these particular locations based on promises of jobs and shelter.” Salazar investigated the September 2022 flight from his city to Martha’s Vineyard. He concluded that the migrants were assured they would receive housing, education and employment opportunities. None of those things materialized. In June, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said that three dozen migrants whom the state flew from the U.S. southern border to California on private planes all went willingly, disputing allegations by California officials that the individuals were coerced to travel under false pretenses. “Recent reporting by the Los Angeles Times and other outlets indicates that some individuals who traveled to Sacramento on June 2 and 5, 2023, may have been similarly induced by deceptive representations about access to jobs, housing, or other services. The California Department of Justice has opened criminal and civil investigations into the circumstances around those flights,” Thursday’s letter reads. Two planes arrived in Sacramento in June, each carrying asylum-seekers mostly from Colombia and Venezuela. The individuals had been picked up in El Paso, Texas, taken to New Mexico and then put on charter flights to California’s capital of Sacramento, Bonta said. Alecia Collins, a spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said in a statement that “through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to California.” She also shared a video compilation that appeared to show people signing consent forms and thanking officials for treating them well. “It is unconscionable to use people as political props by persuading them to travel to another state based on false or deceptive representations. We urge USDOJ to investigate potential violations of federal law by those involved in this scheme. We stand ready to provide additional information about these flights and look forward to working with the USDOJ on this issue,” Thursday’s letter concludes. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.