June 6, 2023

Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Annette’s News Roundup.

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Ron DeSantis may be surprised at what happens next.

Gavin Newsom Has 4 Scathing Words For Ron DeSantis After Migrants Flown To Sacramento.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Monday, days after more than a dozen migrants were flown to the steps of a church in Sacramento.

“@RonDeSantis you small, pathetic man. This isn’t Martha’s Vineyard,” Newsom said in a tweet on Monday. “Kidnapping charges? Read the following,” he continued, attaching both a link and screenshot of California legislature’s kidnapping ordinance.

The California governor was referencing a flight on Saturday that dropped off 16 Venezuelan and Colombian migrants in Sacramento, prompting a California Department of Justice investigation into the incident.

DeSantis has not owned up to the event, and the origin of the flight wasn’t immediately clear. But as Newsom pointed out, it is similar to a political stunt that DeSantis pulled last year transporting 49 migrants out of Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

“We are working closely with the Mayor’s office, along with local and nonprofit partners to ensure the people who have arrived are treated with respect and dignity, and get to their intended destination as they pursue their immigration cases,” Newsom said in a statement on Saturday.

DeSantis’ office said last year that he aimed to continue organizing such tripsdespite a migrant lawsuit. (HuffPost)

Texas sheriff recommends criminal charges in DeSantis’ migrant flights to Martha’s Vineyard.

A Texas sheriff’s department has recommended that the district attorney in Bexar County bring criminal charges over the first iteration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ so-called migrant relocation program. Those flights last September sent 49 asylum seekers, most of them Venezuelans, from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. According to a statement provided to the Miami Herald, the Bexar County sheriff completed its criminal investigation into the on-the-ground operation that allegedly lured migrants onto the flights with false promises of jobs and opportunities on the other end. “The case filed includes both felony and misdemeanor charges of Unlawful Restraint,” according to the statement. “At this time, the case is being reviewed by the DA’s office. Once an update is available, it will be provided to the public.”

Now it’s up to prosecutors in Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, to decide whether to follow the sheriff’s recommendation. The district attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Last fall, Salazar issued special certifications to all of the migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard declaring them to be official victims of a crime and paving the way for them to stay in the United States under a special visa for those helpful to law enforcement. Unlawful restraint is a misdemeanor unless the victim is younger than 17 — as was the case for five of the migrants. Handing the case over to prosecutors is a critical juncture in a criminal probe that could snare some of DeSantis’ top aides. The migrant relocation program, using Florida tax dollars, was overseen by DeSantis’ chief of staff, James Uthmeier, and public safety czar Larry Keefe. (Miami Herald).

Everyone may be surprised what happens next.

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