Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday defended his state’s decision to fly migrants from the US-Mexico border to California, arguing that the state essentially invited the migrants in with its welcome policy toward immigrants.

DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, spoke at a meeting with sheriffs near Arizona’s border with Mexico, pleading for control of the border and flexing his muscles over a signature issue for Donald Trump, his main rival for the 2024 nomination .

I think the border should be closed. I don’t think we should have all of this,” DeSantis said. But if there is a policy to have an open border, then I think the sanctuary jurisdictions should be the ones to bear that.

California AG says DeSantis’ ‘fingerprints’ are on flights bringing migrants to Sacramento

The DeSantis administration said this week that the three dozen migrants the state has recently received

current

sent from El Paso

Texas,

to Sacramento at taxpayer expense all went voluntarily, disputing allegations that the individuals were forced to travel under false pretenses. California officials are investigating whether criminal or civil violations have occurred.

For DeSantis, the focus on immigration is an opportunity to boost his credibility on an important issue for GOP primary voters. He sees political benefits in choosing a high-profile battle with liberal California and its Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who has become an ogre to many on the right.

It is also a chance for DeSantis to confront an issue that was central to Trump’s call, which promised to build a border wall and make Mexico pay for it. By the end of his administration, the wall was still unfinished, and American taxpayers had to pay for the billions of dollars it had cost.

This isn’t the first time DeSantis has chartered planes to transport migrants across the country. Last fall, Florida flew 49 Venezuelans to the luxury island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

Florida says it is responsible for transporting migrants to Sacramento

California declared itself an immigrant haven after Trump was elected president, granting protections to people living in the country illegally and allowing them to apply for certain state benefits. DeSantis said these policies act as a magnet for people seeking a better life and make it more difficult to tackle illegal immigration.

The sanctuary jurisdictions are part of the reason we have this problem, because they have endorsed and agitated for this kind of open border policy, DeSantis said.

DeSantis did not respond to Newsom, who raised the possibility of kidnapping and called DeSantis a short, pathetic man.

Immigration is a national problem that border states shouldn’t bear alone, DeSantis said, adding that the federal government should give states more authority to enforce immigration laws themselves. In addition to the migrant flights, he praised Florida’s other efforts to crack down on illegal immigration beyond its borders, including sending National Guard soldiers and state law enforcement officers to Texas and banning migrant boats off Florida’s coast.

DeSantis said Florida taxpayers are on board with his use of state funds to move migrants from Texas to California, saying it was a problem in the campaign in which he was overwhelmingly re-elected last year. DeSantis signed into law in May allocating $12 million to be used for migrant flights.

Sacramento embraces surprise arrival of migrants caught in national political feud

Two weeks into his presidential campaign, DeSantis is a distant second behind Trump. He did not name his rival, but focused on President Biden’s border policies, which he blamed for the proliferation of drugs.

The Florida governor met with sheriffs from across the country at a community college in the southeastern Arizona town of Sierra Vista, a conservative enclave home to many Border Patrol officers and next to the Ft. Huachuca Army Base. Later, his aides said he intended to visit the border but did not allow journalists.

Trump’s super PAC noted that DeSantis praised his rival’s immigration policies Twitter two years ago and pointed to the former president’s own immigration plans. Trump has revived his promise to end birthrights and his effort to use the US military to attack foreign drug cartels. He has also pushed the death penalty for drug dealers.

In Arizona, DeSantis promised to crack down on fake asylum applications from people who want to move to the US for economic reasons. traveled through other safe countries to get here.