SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s governor, attorney general and the sheriff of Bexar County, Texas, are calling for a Department of Justice investigation into migrant flights to Sacramento.
It says, in part: “Over the last nine months, individuals seeking asylum in the United States were transported from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and to Sacramento, California, under a program funded by the state of Florida.”
The letter says while it’s not uncommon for organizations to help people at the border connect with their families, these cases are different because they reportedly involve recruiters deceiving migrants into getting on the flights with the promise of employment and housing.
A Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (Texas) investigation after a Sept. 2022 flight concluded that’s what happened with a group of migrants who were flown to Martha’s Vineyard, and a referral for potential criminal prosecution is pending at the district’s attorney’s office.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Justice is investigating similar circumstances with the arrival of migrants in Sacramento on June 2 and 5.
In the first case, Newsom says 16 Venezuelan and Colombian migrants came from El Paso where they were allegedly approached by a private contractor promising them help. They were then flown on a private chartered jet into Sacramento and dropped off at the Diocese of Sacramento with only a backpack and documents purporting to be from Florida’s state government.
Days later, a plane carrying 20 more migrants arrived at the Sacramento Executive Airport. According to ABC News, the flight came from El Paso after a stop in New Mexico, so it’s unclear where the migrants were from.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed the state of Florida coordinated the flights to Sacramento saying, "We have put forth resources to assist with the transportation of illegal migrants to sanctuary jurisdictions where they've advertised that they welcome that. That prevents them from coming to Florida.”
California lawmakers and organizations condemned their actions.
In the following weeks, two more groups of migrants were bused from Texas to Los Angeles. The mayor called it a ‘despicable stunt’ while Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed he sent at least the first bus because ‘Small Texas border towns remain overrun & overwhelmed because Biden refuses to secure the border.’
The letter to Garland says that while there are separate investigations into violation of state laws, the Department of Justice should act because it spans at least five states.
