Ron DeSantis isn’t backing down in the face of intense backlash after he flew 50 illegal aliens to Martha’s Vineyard. In fact, he’s doubling down, pledging that his move was “just the beginning” of a broader campaign to fight back against the Biden administration’s failures on the border.

The remarks came at a press conference where the Florida governor addressed the controversy. Here’s what that sounds like per The Hill.

“Now we see, in New York and D.C., they used to beat their chests when Trump was in office, saying they are sanctuary jurisdictions. Then the minute Texas starts busing there, they get very bent out of shape about it,” DeSantis said. “These are just the beginning efforts. We got an infrastructure in place now. There is going to be a lot more that’s happening.”

DeSantis said these efforts are helping “put this issue on the front burner,” adding that Florida is using $12 million the state budget allocated to a program to transport migrants out of the state.

DeSantis’ point about sanctuary city hypocrisy is well taken. It was all fun and games when these deep blue jurisdictions didn’t have to actually face the consequences of the policies they support. That’s finally changing via the relocation of illegal immigrants by DeSantis and Abbot. Now, places like New York City and Chicago don’t get to just brag on CNN about how caring they are, they have to actually spend the money and resources to show it.

That’s led to some incredible moments, where the mayors of these sanctuary jurisdictions are simultaneously proclaiming illegal immigration good while insisting that it’s “cruel” to send those same illegal immigrants to their cities. The attempt to have it both ways only comes across as convoluted and nonsensical, and that was exactly the point DeSantis was trying to make when he sent those planes to Martha’s Vineyard.

Liberals love to virtue signal, but rarely does reality comport to the image they’ve built for themselves. It took less than 48 hours for Martha’s Vineyard to load up those illegal aliens on buses to ship them to a military base, and you can bet DeSantis was counting on that happening.

That’s the great thing about the Florida governor, and why so many on the right love his style. It’s not just that he owns the libs. Sure, he does that, but he also thinks through everything he does. He’s never caught flat-footed after doing something because every move he makes is methodical and thought out. DeSantis is able to anticipate what the left will do, including the arguments he’ll face in court, and he always remains one step ahead as a result. It’s fun to witness, and it shows that GOP leadership can be both fierce and competent.

Back to the details of his statement, DeSantis says that the “infrastructure” is in place to ship more illegal aliens to these sanctuary cities and that he will continue doing so. Florida put $12,000,000 in its last state budget specifically for that purpose, and that can buy a lot of bus rides.

In the end, the point isn’t to somehow stop illegal immigration this way. That’s impossible for a state governor to do, but what is possible is making Democrats pay for the policies they push. It also has the effect of keeping the border crisis at the top of the news. There hasn’t been much discussion of abortion lately, has there? That’s just smart politics.