Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spent taxpayers' money on flying migrants to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts and some of those people are "still going to wind up in Florida anyway," said Domingo Garcia, the president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
In the 24 hours or so since Ron DeSantis sent two planes carrying migrants to Martha's Vineyard, the move has dominated the political world. Every newspaper and cable channel is filled with thoughts about the move, with much of that opinion tilting toward outrage over the Florida Republican governor treating people like political pawns.
The arrival of a clutch of migrants to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City -- sent from a southern state that did not want them as residents -- triggered outrage from city leaders and civil rights activists. A US senator from New York denounced it as a "heartless display of theatricalism."
America got a preview this week of what the 2024 presidential campaign might look like if President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump stepped aside to clear the way for the next generation's possible candidates in waiting: Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Gavin Newsom of California.
Attorneys representing more than 30 of the migrants flown to Massachusetts this week asked the US Attorney for Massachusetts and the state's attorney general to open criminal investigations into the flights.
After sharing hugs and teary goodbyes with roughly 50 migrants who had arrived unexpectedly by plane on this affluent vacation island, the volunteers who sheltered them at an Episcopal church carried out tables and chairs, packed food onto trucks and folded portable cots.