Senate Democrats are seething over what they are saying was a “political stunt” by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who’ve despatched planeloads and busloads of Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Winery, Mass., and Washington, D.C.
Democratic lawmakers have grown more and more pissed off with DeSantis and different GOP governors for transporting migrants to the liberal metropolises of Washington, New York and Chicago in an effort to stress the Biden administration to pay extra consideration to unlawful immigration.
On Thursday, locals had been coping with the GOP strikes not solely within the quaint trip spot off the coast of Massachusetts, but additionally close to Vice President Harris’s official residence in Washington, D.C.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who pressed to incorporate vital immigration reform on this yr’s congressional agenda, mentioned DeSantis’s stunt had disqualified him as a critical candidate for president in 2024.
“It’s a horrible stunt however none was worse than what DeSantis simply did, and it ought to disqualify him from ever serving yet another day in workplace,” Kaine mentioned.
DeSantis had about 50 migrants in Texas despatched to Martha’s Winery, whereas Abbott despatched two busloads of principally Venezuelan migrants to the vice chairman’s residence.
Kaine famous that Venezuelan migrants are fleeing “one of the crucial brutal dictatorships on this planet” and that america is largest supplier of humanitarian assist to Venezuela.
“That DeSantis would go to Texas to spherical up Venezuelans to drop them off in Martha’s Winery, the man has not the shadow of a coronary heart or a conscience. It’s outrageous,” Kaine mentioned. “These poor Venezuelans, what they’re struggling.”
The arrival of two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants caught native officers in Martha’s Winery abruptly and despatched them scrambling to seek out meals and shelter on the small island, which has 17,000 year-round residents and the place discovering sufficient housing for the inflow of summer time seasonal staff is a problem.
The Martha’s Winery’s Chamber of Commerce on Thursday referred to as the scenario a “humanitarian disaster” and Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s workplace mentioned he was staying in contact with native officers to observe efforts to supply short-term shelter companies.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) blasted DeSantis for dropping off the migrants with none advance warning to native officers.
“It’s merciless to deal with human beings like pawns in a political recreation. He has reached a brand new low,” she mentioned of DeSantis.
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Unwell.), who led unsuccessful immigration reform negotiations with Republicans earlier this yr, mentioned it was “merciless and inhuman” for Abbott to ship migrants to Chicago with none coordination with native authorities, who’re struggling to soak up the brand new arrivals into town’s social companies community.
“When the governor of Texas is not going to even give us a telephone name to inform us these households are arriving on buses in Union Station in Chicago, it’s merciless and inhuman and it’s a petty political stunt on his half. I hope he’s held accountable,” he mentioned.
Durbin, who met with newly arrived migrant households final week in Chicago, mentioned “ethical requirements have been grossly violated by this conduct.”
He recalled assembly a pair who trekked throughout Central America with their two infants to achieve america to request asylum who “went by means of each conceivable indignity” to achieve secure haven.
“Now they arrive to america and have the governor of Texas heap this indignity on them. It’s simply unfair and it’s un-American,” he mentioned.
He mentioned the inflow of migrants is placing a pressure on Chicago’s social welfare companies. Officers have resorted to establishing cots on the Salvation Military rescue middle to shelter them.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), one other main Democratic advocate for immigration reform and an outspoken critic of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, referred to as DeSantis’s conduct “shameful.”
“It’s shameful that as a substitute of welcoming Venezuelans to the state with the most important Venezuelan diaspora within the U.S., @GovRonDeSantis selected to lure migrants like a human trafficker & lie about the place they had been going to attain political factors with Trump’s MAGA base,” he tweeted.
Senate Republicans, nonetheless, say that DeSantis, Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey are justified in transport migrants to Blue States.
They argue that border states akin to Texas and Arizona shouldn’t be alone in shouldering the burden of hundreds of migrants getting into the nation.
“Proper now Arizona and Texas and some others take the entire burden, and different states should take their fair proportion,” mentioned Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who served as governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. Romney has regularly criticized former President Trump, underscoring how on immigration, the strikes by DeSantis and Abbott don’t look like dividing Republicans.
When requested whether or not bussing migrants to Democratic states seems to be a political stunt, Romney accused the Biden administration of taking part in politics by not doing extra to safe the southern border.
Requested how he may need dealt with the sudden inflow of migrants on Martha’s Winery if he had been nonetheless governor, Romney replied: “I’m not governor of Massachusetts however any governor would have accountability for locating areas and employment and housing and different alternatives for people who come into the nation.”
Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R) additionally defended DeSantis and Abbott.
He mentioned if Democrats are upset, they need to “do one thing about it” by taking motion to restrict the circulation of individuals throughout the border.
He argued that transport migrants to Martha’s Winery, Washington, D.C., and different Democratic enclaves is “actually getting folks’s consideration.”
“Earlier than this this Biden administration has been ignoring the scenario on the border,” he mentioned. “That is one thing we’ve been residing with for a very long time now in Texas.”
He mentioned political leaders in Martha’s Winery, New York Metropolis and Washington “ought to choose up the telephone and name the Biden White Home and say we’ve bought an issue, we’ve bought to do one thing about it.”
