‘State-sanctioned kidnapping’: Texas sheriff aids probe into new DeSantis migrant flights
The Texas sheriff who last week recommended criminal charges for those behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ so-called migrant relocation program is collaborating with California authorities who announced a similar criminal investigation following recent flights that brought migrants from El Paso to Sacramento.
Bexar County sheriff Javier Salazar met with California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week to discuss their concurrent investigations, according to a statement released by the sheriff’s office late Wednesday.
“This humanitarian crisis affects the entire country,” Salazar said in the statement. “I was fortunate to be in a position to meet and confer with Governor Newsom to discuss our respective cases regarding the migrant flights. Among topics discussed was the status and the nature of the criminal investigation.”
The Texas sheriff’s office will provide information on their investigation to the California Department of Justice regarding commonalities in the case, according to the statement.
Salazar launched his criminal investigation into DeSantis’ controversial program last year after 49 migrants living at a migrant resource center in San Antonio were allegedly lured onto two flights headed for Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, with false promises of jobs and other assistance. Last week, Salazar turned over his case to the Bexar County district attorney, recommending charges related to unlawful restraint.
After months of dormancy following the news of the investigation and several legal challenges, the state of Florida last week revived its relocation program with two flights that brought 36 more migrants from Texas to Sacramento. The flights prompted Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta to announce their own criminal investigation.
“State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting,” Bonta said in a statement confirming the investigation into whether migrants had been misled or coerced onto the California-bound flights. Newsom called DeSantis a “small, pathetic man.”
The Florida governor has disputed the claim that the migrants were tricked and said they flew willingly.
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Newsom, a Democrat, is a political foil to DeSantis, who is currently vying for the Republican presidential nomination against former President Donald Trump. For years, the two governors have taken shots at each other over their differing views on everything from COVID-19 response to how to understand and manage crime rates in their respective states.
The sheriff met with Newsom while in California for Major County Sheriffs of America Conference, which began Monday and wrapped up Wednesday, the statement said.
“I met with him to compare notes yesterday because it’s exactly the playbook that DeSantis and his staff did to send migrants in California. I find that disgraceful,” Newsom said to KTTV anchor Elex Michaelson.
This story was originally published June 14, 2023 at 11:58 PM.
