FILE – California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Feb. 23, 2022. California’s attorney general says the state of Florida appears to have arranged for a group of South American migrants to be dropped off outside a Sacramento church. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
California authorities are investigating the transportation of more than a dozen migrants from Texas to Sacramento via private plane, apparently brought there with funding from the state of Florida.
The Golden State’s Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) announced the probe on Saturday, revealing that his office will explore “potential criminal or civil action against those who transported or arranged for the transport of these vulnerable immigrants.”
“While this is still under investigation, we can confirm these individuals were in possession of documentation purporting to be from the government of the State of Florida,” Bonta said in a statement. “While we continue to collect evidence, I want to say this very clearly: State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting.”
When Bonta issued his announcement, he said that he met with 12 of the migrants. The New York Times reported on Sunday that 16 migrants from Venezuela and Colombia were flown in by a private chartered jet and dropped off outside a church in Sacramento. Bonta told the paper that their travel was “administered by the Florida Division of Emergency Management” and its contractor, Vertol Systems Company.
That is the same company said to have lured two planeloads of South American migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, last autumn. The incident ignited national controversy — and sparked civil litigation and criminal investigation — after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) took credit for their relocation. One lawsuit alleged that Florida used $615,000 in taxpayer money from a $12 million pool set aside by the state legislature for their transportation. That suit remains active, according to court records.
Massachusetts-based attorney Rachel Self, who advocated for the migrants at Martha’s Vineyard, found the stories strikingly familiar. She released a blistering statement against DeSantis, whom she called a presidential candidate who’s “willing to use the most vulnerable among us to score cheap political points.”
“Now he has done it again,” Self said, adding that Florida authorities promised migrants “everything they hoped to find after fighting their way on foot through lawless jungle to reach the American dream.”
“Once again, the government of Florida has cynically abused people who have nothing at all, making pawns out of some of the least fortunate people in the world,” Self continued. “Once again, they couldn’t even wait for anyone to actually get to Florida before doing it.”
In an interview with Law&Crime last autumn, Self described her conversations with Sheriff Javier Salazar of Bexar County, Texas. Salazar opened up a criminal probe into the Martha’s Vineyard incident, where he’d credited Self with shining a light on their stories.
Self cited the California investigation as a reason for Texas authorities to step up their efforts.
“I am hopeful that law enforcement in El Paso – where it appears these migrants were approached and deceived – will step up to protect law and order in their jurisdiction, and stop Florida authorities from hunting people wherever they like, wherever they think they can get their next fifteen minutes of notoriety,” she said.
DeSantis’s representatives did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
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