During his first public appearance since facing accusations from California officials regarding charter flights transporting migrants from Texas to Sacramento, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida avoided addressing whether his state was involved in the transports.
Instead, at a news conference in Wildwood, Fla., the event was focused on Mr. DeSantis signing a bill that he claimed would grant consumers greater control over their online presence. After signing the bill, the governor walked off the stage without taking any questions from reporters.
The absence of a response from Governor DeSantis, a Republican candidate for president, regarding a highly publicized incident that garnered national attention is noteworthy, particularly considering the direct criticism he received from Governor Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat. Typically, Mr. DeSantis answers questions from the media after such events. However, his office has not provided any responses to repeated inquiries regarding the involvement of Florida in these flights.
Around 36 migrants arrived in Sacramento via two charter flights, with one landing on Friday and another on Monday. The majority of the migrants, who are primarily from Venezuela, stated that they were recruited for the flights outside a shelter in El Paso. They claim they were promised assistance in finding employment.
California officials have attributed responsibility for the flights to Governor DeSantis, as the migrants possessed documents indicating that their travel had been arranged by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and a private contractor called Vertol Systems Company. This same contractor was involved in arranging the transportation of two planeloads of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard last year, a venture funded by Florida taxpayers.
