As the situation in violence-torn Haiti deteriorates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken action to ensure the safety of Floridians from a wave of potential Haitian refugees and criminal elements seeking to take advantage of the situation in order to flout U.S. immigration law for nefarious purposes.
For instance, DeSantis has authorized state-organized rescue missions of Americans in the region, with the first flight reportedly "wheels up" and on the way home as of this writing, according to spokespeople for his administration. He's also sent state assets to southern Florida to block a possible influx, with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers intercepting a boatload in late February, where firearms, drugs, and night goggles were allegedly found in what FWC called a "human smuggling operation."
In a recent interview with conservative talk show host Dana Loesch, the subject of the Haitian crisis came up. During their back and forth, DeSantis noted that it was possible that Florida would send the likely refugees to Martha's Vineyard because they couldn't send them back to Haiti or somewhere in South America "without getting clearance":
“We do have our transport program also that’s going to be operational. So, Haitians land in the Florida Keys, their next stop very well may be Martha’s Vineyard,” he said in an interview Tuesday with podcast host Dana Loesch.
[...]
DeSantis said it’s “very important” that Florida authorities interdict vessels carrying Haitian migrants before they land in the state, adding that “sending them back is easy” if they are caught at sea. He said if they land in Florida, he cannot send the migrants back to Haiti without getting clearance.
“If you wanted to fly somebody to a South American country, wherever they’re from, it becomes a little bit more difficult because there, the federal government’s going to tell the host countries not to accept our plane,” he said.
Watch:
RON DESANTIS: "Haitians land in the Florida Keys? Their next stop very well may be Martha's Vineyard." pic.twitter.com/J6D01ACarB
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) March 19, 2024
DeSantis, as RedState readers will recall, sent two planeloads of illegal immigrants to Martha's Vineyard in the summer of 2022, prompting howls of outrage from The Usual Suspects who, as it turned out, weren't so welcoming of the illegal immigrants into their "sanctuary" after all.
News of DeSantis' suggestion about sending the Haitian refugees to her home state triggered woke Squad member Ayanna Pressley, who took to the Twitter machine to accuse DeSantis of "exploiting vulnerable families":
Exploiting vulnerable families is unconscionable but unsurprising from a failed presidential candidate seeking to stay relevant.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) March 20, 2024
Families fleeing violence in Haiti & other countries deserve to be met with compassion—not to be used as pawns in Republicans' cruel political games. https://t.co/JaMIf9sq64
Pressley taking fauxfense over DeSantis' remarks was a little bit like saying the quiet part out loud for her.
I mean how is sending the Haitians who are fleeing their country to a city and state that has boasted of being welcoming and accommodating to illegal immigrants exploitative? Further, wouldn't that by far be the most compassionate thing that could be done?
Or is what Pressley saying here essentially the same thing that was said by residents and local officials the last time around? A refresher:
Martha's Vineyard resident reacts to influx of illegal immigrants: “At some point, they have to move from here to somewhere else... We don’t have the services to take care of 50 immigrants…we don’t have housing for 50 more people."pic.twitter.com/COtwjaLAqC
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 15, 2022
In other words, don't get too comfortable.
In this case, however, DeSantis isn't saying "Don't get too comfortable." He's saying, "Don't come here" - period. But if you think about it, so, too, is Ayanna Pressley, despite her protestations to the contrary.
As usual, Democrats are big on virtue signaling and short on seeing it through with actual action, making promises about safe harbor for illegals with no intention of following through.
As far as I'm concerned, giving people false hope is one of the least compassionate, most exploitative things someone can do, and that is exactly what Ayanna Pressley and her radical open borders ilk are doing every time they open their mouths on this topic.
Democrats are telling us who they really are again, aren't they?
Flashback: Former Walgreens Loss Prevention Supervisor Schools Ayanna Pressley Over Racism Claim on Closures
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