A New Low: 蜜桃传媒 challenges constitutionality of Florida appropriations law that created immigrant relocation program
The racism toward Latinx migrants may have reached a new low, as some governors are now busing and flying migrants to other states as to blame Democrats for migrants鈥� presence in the country.
Since April, thousands of asylum seekers 鈥� mainly from Venezuela, where an ongoing humanitarian crisis was triggered by an economic collapse in 2014 鈥� have been transported to northern cities by Republican governors in and Arizona.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis . Under a $12 million program created by lawmakers, DeSantis used part of the interest from federal COVID-19 relief funds to transport asylum seekers out of the state by flying them first into Florida from Texas and then to Martha鈥檚 Vineyard, Massachusetts.
In response, the Southern Poverty Law Center, along with and the (CJI) of Harvard Law School filed a federal lawsuit this week against DeSantis and Jared W. Perdue, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, on behalf of nonprofit immigrant rights organizations. The suit challenges the constitutionality of of Florida鈥檚 2022 General Appropriations Act (HB 5001), which calls for the 鈥渢ransport of unauthorized aliens from this state.鈥�
鈥淭he scheme by Gov. DeSantis and the state of Florida to use taxpayer funds for the 鈥榬elocation鈥� of 鈥榰nauthorized aliens鈥� is a blatant and unlawful attempt to harass immigrants at the state level,鈥� said Paul R. Chavez, senior supervising attorney with the 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 Immigrant Justice Project. 鈥淔lorida鈥檚 relocation program constitutes a discriminatory attack on immigrant communities, and Gov. DeSantis鈥� unconstitutional actions must be stopped.鈥�
The U.S. Constitution grants the exclusive power to regulate immigration policy to the federal government, not the states, Chavez said.
鈥業nhumane and depraved鈥�
Massachusetts State Rep. Dylan Fernandes, whose district includes Martha鈥檚 Vineyard, DeSantis has been 鈥渉atching a secret plot to send immigrant families like cattle on an airplane. Ship 鈥� women and children to a place they weren鈥檛 told where they were going and never alerted local officials and people on the ground here that they were coming. It is an incredibly inhumane and depraved thing to do.鈥�
As it turns out, before DeSantis could say he kicked migrants out of Florida, he had to pay to fly them in, the .
The Herald reported that documents released by the politically connected aviation company that helped manage Florida鈥檚 migrant relocation program show that DeSantis 鈥渨riggled around a requirement that Florida use the money to export Florida migrants 鈥� not those living in some other state.鈥�
鈥淭his stunt was paid for pursuant to聽Section 185 of the 2022 General Appropriations Act; that program, which we argue is unconstitutional on its face, was created solely to transport migrants聽辞耻迟听of Florida, not聽产别迟飞别别苍听other states,鈥� Chavez said.
Previously, the 蜜桃传媒 urged the U.S. Treasury to investigate Florida鈥檚 planned redirection of $12 million in federal pandemic aid to target immigrants.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty disgusting to see that politicians are capitalizing聽on the difficult circumstances these families are in for a 鈥榞otcha鈥� moment and political stunt,鈥� Julian Cyr, the state senator who represents Martha鈥檚 Vineyard,聽.
DeSantis of using immigration as a scare tactic in Florida. Unfortunately for migrants, their plights may have now become more difficult.
鈥淢igrants in Florida have fled economic hardship and political repression from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti and many other countries,鈥� Chavez said. 鈥淭his move will harm families whose loved ones have managed to reunite with them in Florida.鈥�
Picture at top: Venezuelan migrants stand outside St. Andrew鈥檚 Episcopal Church in Edgartown, on the Massachusetts island of Martha鈥檚 Vineyard, on Sept. 14, 2022. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis transported asylum seekers out of his state in a political stunt designed to blame Democrats for the presence of migrants in the U.S. (Credit: Ray Ewing/Vineyard Gazette via Reuters)
