another disgusting republican (hard to keep track of them all).
The budget language that appropriated the money for Florida's migrant relocation program would not permit
two flights this week, for which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has claimed credit, or the relocation of some of the migrants recruited for them, CNN has learned.
DeSantis said he arranged for the two flights which landed in Massachusetts, but the migrants had actually been in Texas.
Florida's migrant relocation program, according to the budget language which DeSantis signed into law, says the program should move migrants who are "unlawfully present" in the United States "from this state," meaning the flights from Texas to Massachusetts would not have been covered by the budget, language and anyone relocated as part of the program was not legally allowed to be in the US.
Martha Vineyard's airport director Geoffrey Freeman said Wednesday's flights originated in San Antonio, Texas.
And CNN spoke with more than a dozen migrants on the flights, who also affirmed they were transported from San Antonio, not Florida. They also said they were Venezuelan citizens seeking asylum and applying for refugee status, and showed CNN court papers for future asylum determination proceedings.
Federal law, cited in the Florida budget language, dictates those migrants who have future asylum determination proceedings are lawfully present in the US until a federal judge makes a determination otherwise.
As questions and criticism swirl as to why Florida's governor used state funds to transport migrants from Texas to Massachusetts, DeSantis said the flights were organized for people who were "trying to come to Florida and then offering them free transportation to sanctuary jurisdictions."
None of the migrants CNN spoke to said they had any desire or plans to travel to Florida.
The budget language that appropriated the money for Florida's migrant relocation program would not permit two flights this week, for which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has claimed credit, or the relocation of some of the migrants recruited for them, CNN has learned.
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