During his speech at the Republican National Convention on Night 2, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made a reference to one of his most famous political stunts.
With a theme of "Make America Safe Again," DeSantis spoke about immigration when he took to the podium, and on stage he made a jab at Massachusetts and other liberal leaning states.
"They support support open borders allowing millions and millions of illegal aliens to pour into our country and to burden our communities, but just don't send any to Martha's Vineyard then they get really upset," he said.
That moment references the 2022 political stunt when he sent two charter planes of about 50 migrants from Venezuela to the state to make a point about sanctuary states. The move to send the migrants unannounced was controversial.
Here's what to know.
Who is Ron DeSantis?
DeSantis is the current governor of Florida, his term beginning in January of 2019. He has generally leaned politically conservative in his ideological and policy choices.
The "Don't Say Gay" Bill, the near-absence of COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing measures at the peak of the pandemic and his legislation to prevent transgender people to use the government-owned bathrooms that most reflects their gender identities are key moments in his tenure as governor.
In his speech, DeSantis prodded at the Democratic Party for its support of the LGBTQ community, saying that the Democrats can't parse out a clear definition of the word woman, a jab at transgender women, specifically. He also pushed the narrative that "gender ideology" was being impressed upon military members and small children, alike.
DeSantis, a longtime critic of more open immigration policies, signed three bills in March to put pressure on undocumented immigrants living in Florida, increasing the severity of prison sentences for returning deported migrants.
Nearly two years ago, he pulled a political stunt to show his opposition to President Biden's immigration policies.
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Why did Ron DeSantis send a plane of migrants to Martha's Vineyard?
DeSantis was part of a string of governors sending migrants who crossed the U.S. border illegally to blue states in 2022. Around the same time as the Martha's Vineyard plans, 100 migrants reportedly arrived outside the home of Vice President Kamala Harris. Previously, buses loaded with migrants weresent from Arizona and Texas to Washington D.C., New York and Chicago.
Florida's legislature approved$12 million to fundshipping migrants out of Florida.
After news of the planes arriving on Martha's Vineyard broke, DeSantis' communications director said,"States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they haveinvited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigrationthrough their designation as ‘sanctuary states...'"
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At the time, the move was called a “blatant disregard for human life” by a joint delegation of Venezuelan-American groups who also accused DeSantis of lying to Cuban and Venezuelan people when they said he pledged not to send migrants from either country out of state.
After they arrived at Martha's Vineyard, the migrants were voluntarily moved to Joint Base Cape Cod in Bourne, where many remained for a period of time before further arrangements could be made. Officials said some returned to Martha’s Vineyard for work and living arrangements.
Has Ron DeSantis talked about sending more migrants to Martha's Vineyard?
As recently as this March, DeSantis has talked about repeating the political stunt.
On a podcast, DeSantis suggested in March he would send a potential influx of Haitian migrants toMartha’s Vineyard. The comments, made on a podcast hosted by the conservative radio hostDana Loesch, were in regards to a question about an influx of migrants fleeing Haiti.
“We do have our transport program also that is going to be operational,” DeSantis said on the podcast. “So, if Haitians land in the Florida Keys, their next stop may very well be Martha’s Vineyard.”
More:DeSantis said he might send Haitian migrants to Martha's Vineyard. Island leader responds.
What is a sanctuary state?
While having no strict legal definition, a sanctuary state has been defined as a jurisdiction that limit cooperation with federal immigration law enforcement, like failing to provide information about immigration status and curtailing the length of immigration detainers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The following states have been labeled as sanctuary states by immigration hardliners:
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington
