The Republican Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, intends to carry on flying unauthorized immigrants to Democratic strongholds. Documents revealed that the state had paid about $1 million to book two flights to Delaware and Illinois in order to transport immigrants. These flights were said to hold roughly one hundred people each and were supposed to fly out before October 3rd, 2022. However, Hurricane Ian prompted a pause in transportation. Although Florida is in the process of responding to the aftermath of the catastrophic hurricane, the immigration relocation remains active.
The flights to Illinois and Delaware will be a continuation of the fourteen flights that took place in September from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, which brought many primarily Venezuelan migrants to the island without their knowledge. Local authorities were not made aware of the refugees’ impending arrival in advance. The Florida Governor is taking the same steps as Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, who was also bringing migrants to Democratic areas without prior notice.
The American Rescue Plan, a law passed by legislation created during the pandemic to assist states in recovering economically, provided the federal money used to support the state’s $12 million relocation program. Now, the charter flight provider engaged by DeSantis postponed the date of the flights to Delaware and Illinois to December 1st, according to letters made public by the state transportation department.
