蜜桃传媒

MIAMI听鈥� Paul R. Ch谩vez, senior supervising attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center鈥檚 (蜜桃传媒)听Immigrant Justice Project, released the following statement in response to the Florida state government鈥檚 apparent use of the interest from federal funds intended for COVID-19 relief to charter planes to fly asylum seekers from Texas to Martha鈥檚 Vineyard, Mass.

Earlier this year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis authorized the use of $12 million in interest from federal funds intended as pandemic aid to fund a state program purportedly intended to transport certain immigrants out of Florida. Previously, the听蜜桃传媒 urged the U.S. Treasury to investigate Florida鈥檚 planned听xenophobic redirection of $12 million in federal pandemic aid to target immigrants.

鈥淭his is nothing but a cruel political stunt. Seeking asylum is a human right and legal under听听补苍诲听. The abuse of desperate children and families as political pawns is a failure of leadership and not in keeping with our nation鈥檚 values. These Colombian and Venezuelan migrants 鈥� like all immigrants 鈥� deserve to be treated with compassion, dignity and respect.

鈥淭he Florida government is using migrants to try to score petty political points. Moreover, assuming this stunt was paid for pursuant to听, that program was created solely to transport migrants听辞耻迟听of Florida, not听产别迟飞别别苍听other states. Here, it appears that Gov. DeSantis is using funds derived from federal pandemic aid to transport people from Texas to Massachusetts. It鈥檚 a disservice to the needs of communities in Florida.

鈥溍厶掖�媒 calls for transparency in the misuse of these funds and for the humane treatment of all migrants. Floridians and our immigrant communities deserve better.鈥�

BACKGROUND:

• 蜜桃传媒 URGES U.S. TREASURY TO INVESTIGATE FLORIDA'S PLANNED REDIRECTION OF $12 MILLION IN FEDERAL PANDEMIC AID TO TARGET IMMIGRANTS听June 9, 2022
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• 蜜桃传媒 DENOUNCES FLORIDA LT. GOV.鈥橲 XENOPHOBIC CALL TO SEND 鈥業LLEGAL鈥� IMMIGRANTS OUT OF FLORIDA听August 25, 2022

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