It’s not only Republicans who are capitalizing on the Abbott Express. Yes, conservatives have cheered Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican governors for sending illegal aliens to blue cities. But after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined in on the fun, when he sent illegals to Martha’s Vineyard, it seems at least one Democrat is trying to leverage the issue to promote himself.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting that the agency investigate possible kidnapping and other charges in relation to the GOP governors’ actions.
“In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Newsom asked whether actions by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sending illegal immigrants from their respective states to destinations such as New York City, Washington, D.C. Chicago, and Martha’s Vineyard were illegal,” Newsom wrote, according to Fox News Digital.
“Several of the individuals who were transported to Martha’s Vineyard have alleged that a recruiter induced them to accept the offer of travel based on false representations that they would be transported to Boston and would receive expedited access to work authorization,” Newsom continued. “I urge US DOJ to investigate whether the alleged fraudulent inducement would support charges of kidnapping under relevant state laws.”
The letter was in response to DeSantis’ decision to send illegals to Martha’s Vineyard. Earlier this year, Newsom singled out the Florida governor as his arch-nemesis. But he has also lashed out at Abbott as well.
Taryn Fenske, DeSantis’ communications director, told Fox News Digital:
“States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and support for the Biden administration’s open border policies.”
In fact, Christina Pushaw, communications director for DeSantis’ re-election campaign, indicated that more illegals might be on the way to Martha’s Vineyard. Dylan Fernandes, the state representative for the district in which Martha’s Vineyard is located, posted a tweet noting that the illegals “were not met with chaos” when they arrived and bragged: “We are a community & nation that is stronger because of immigrants.”
He further boasted:
Our island jumped into action putting together 50 beds, giving everyone a good meal, providing a play area for the children, making sure people have the healthcare and support they need. We are a community that comes together to support immigrants.
Pushaw responded with her own tweet: “Great, then you won’t mind taking in a few thousand more.”
But we all know what Newsom was doing, don’t we? He knows there are no grounds for kidnapping charges. He is merely using this standoff to further position himself as the Democratic Party’s nominee for president in 2024, because nobody actually believes Biden intends to run again. It is the whole reason why Newsom has been feuding with Abbott and DeSantis.
But one thing is clear; even Newsom cannot mitigate the political damage Democrats have sustained because of the brazen hypocrisy they have shown over the past few months. Despite claiming to be concerned about the plight of brown folks sneaking into the country from Central America, their constant caterwauling about having to take care of these individuals in their cities shows their proclamations were nothing more than empty virtue signaling.