Alecia Collins said that the migrants’ relocation to California had been “voluntary,” and that they had been taken to a nonprofit.
June 7, 2023

Florida officials confirmed yesterday that the DeSantis administration arranged two recent charter flights that carried groups of migrants from New Mexico to Sacramento. In other words, the Republican-dominated Florida state legislature will rubber-stamp any funds necessary to help Little White Boots win the Republican nomination. Via the New York Times:

The flights had generated an immediate outcry from leaders in California, who promised to initiate criminal and civil investigations, saying that the migrants had been deceived into boarding the planes. They also sharply criticized Mr. DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate. On Twitter, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, suggested that “kidnapping charges” were warranted against those responsible for the flights, on Monday and last Friday.

In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Alecia Collins, the communications director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said that the migrants’ relocation to California had been “voluntary,” and that they had been taken to a nonprofit.

“Through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to California,” Ms. Collins wrote. “A contractor was present and ensured they made it safely to a third party N.G.O. The specific N.G.O., Catholic Charities, is used and funded by the federal government.”

Umm, maybe not so much. The migrants on the flights to Martha's Vineyard didn't seem to know where they were going. And the migrants in Sacramento were simply dumped in front of the city's Catholic diocese building.

The migrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard have since filed a class-action lawsuit against Mr. DeSantis and other state officials, saying they had been falsely promised jobs and other assistance when they arrived.

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