The government of Florida confirmed on Tuesday that it was behind the flight that brought immigrants to Sacramento, California, last week. In doing so, they also responded to threats by California Governor Gavin Newsom that seemed to indicate he was considering filing kidnapping charges against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“Florida's voluntary relocation is precisely that — voluntary,” the statement given to a US media outlet said. “Through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to California. A contractor was present and ensured they made it safely to a 3rd-party NGO. The specific NGO, Catholic Charities, is used and funded by the federal government.
“From left-leaning mayors in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, the relocation of those illegally crossing the United States border is not new,” the statement continues. “But suddenly, when Florida sends illegal aliens to a sanctuary city, it's false imprisonment and kidnapping.”
The government of Florida also released a video showing migrants signing paperwork, celebrating their arrival in California and expressing gratitude to the workers.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced last week that he met with more than a dozen immigrants that had been flown to Sacramento and alleged that no arrangements had been made for them in the state.
“We are investigating the circumstances by which these individuals were brought to California. We are also evaluating potential criminal or civil action against those who transported or arranged for the transport of these vulnerable immigrants,” he said before Florida confirmed the state was behind the flights.
The flights were funded by Florida taxpayers. A previous immigrant flight in 2022 to Martha’s Vineyard reportedly cost $615,000 according to state records. In a news conference following that flight, DeSantis said the flights would continue, and that the state legislature had allocated $12 million for the project.
According to Syracuse University’s TRAC system, more than 2.2 million immigration cases are pending before the courts. Of the cases handled in the fiscal year 2023, only 0.68% of cases involved alleged criminal activity other than possible illegal entry.
DeSantis has not publicly responded to Newsom's threat himself.