Democrats, media slam DeSantis for flying migrants to Martha's Vineyard
Democrats and members of the media were critical of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during appearances on Sunday's cable shows.
Member of the media and Democrats criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., for sending two planes with migrants to Martha's Vineyard during multiple appearances on CNN, MSNBC, NBC and ABC on Sunday.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams appeared on CNN's "State of the Union," MSNBC's "The Sunday Show" and ABC's "This Week" on Sunday to discuss the migrants in Martha's Vineyard in addition to migrants being bussed to Washington, D.C., New York and other cities across the U.S. CNN's Jake Tapper told Adams that it seemed like he'd agree that the crisis at the southern border needs more attention from President Biden's administration.
"No. I believe it’s a crisis that needs more coordination from our country," Adams responded. "This is one country — this is a country that’s always been capable of handling those who are seeking to participate in [the] American dream. That coordination should not only be on the federal level, the state level but even cities to cities. And we reached out to the El Paso mayor as well as our team attempted to reach out to Gov. Abbott. They refused to do any formal coordination. They think the politics of treating people in an inhumane manner to cover up, I believe, what they’ve done around human rights, the erosion of it for these last few years is what they believe is the best way to handle it. I just disagree," he said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has sent multiple buses of migrants from Texas to New York City.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks at the National Press Club during a press conference on gun violence and other issues on Sept. 13, 2022. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Adams was asked by ABC's Jonathan Karl about what he has been told by the Biden administration about the overwhelming amount of migrants being sent to New York City. Adams again emphasized a need for coordination from state and federal leadership.
Adams said he sat down with senators and other lawmakers in the Biden administration about coordination.
"Their goal is to make sure we get the resources and the coordination that's needed," he said.
"This is an American crisis that we need to face — a humanitarian crisis that were made by human hands by some of the governors in our southern states," he said.
The New York City mayor told MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart that DeSantis' actions as well as Abbott's were "inhumane" and "anti-American." Abbott sent two buses with migrants to Vice President Kamala Harris' Naval Observatory residence in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Aug. 16, 2022, a lawsuit against the Biden administration over the delay of an application to import cheaper medications from Canada. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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"When I saw what happened to Martha's Vineyard, and to the vice president's house, it clearly showed that this was not coming from Florida, where DeSantis was stating these were migrants that were in Florida, this is part of a political ploy. That’s what we need to understand. This is to cover up the erosion of human rights that both those governors have been participating in and their attempt to really show other ways that they are eroding the human rights of individuals," he added.
CNN political commentator Scott Jennings argued that the point of sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard was "to make a larger point about burden sharing."
"The crisis at the border is a burden being fully borne by Texas, Arizona and then those towns down there. That was the point. I’m not typically a fan of government by trolling. But you know I feel trolled every day when I see the White House press secretary and the vice president and the president tell the American people, ‘Oh, the border is secure, there is no problem.’ That’s the point, and they made it, and we’re talking about it. Mission accomplished on that," Jennings said.
Danielle Gibbs Léger, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama and the executive vice president of communications and strategy for American Progress, pushed back on Jennings during CNN's "State of the Union" and said the migrants were being used as "political pawns."
"This is the culmination of MAGA extremism taking over this party," she said. "These migrants were lied to, they were misled. They thought they were going someplace else, and they were given appointments across the country for Monday. So, they’re setting them up for failure."
Volunteers mingle outside of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on Martha's Vineyard, where two planes of migrants arrived last week. (Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told NBC's Chuck Todd that DeSantis was using migrants for "political purposes."
"It is pathetic that these governors are taking advantage of these helpless people, making promises to them; get on the bus and life is just going to be fine and off they go to places far removed from where they're supposed to be appearing under the requirements of our law in a matter of weeks and months," Durbin said. "So, he's jeopardizing their stay in the United States when each governor makes this decision."
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, told CBS' Margaret Brennan that the U.S. needs "solutions" and "not theater."
"By sending off — folks off to New York and Chicago, it does bring attention, but I — we want to focus more on solutions on the border. We got to give Border Patrol, we got to give ICE, Homeland Security the equipment, making sure they have everything where they can enforce the law, because, if we don't have repercussions at the border, we're going to continue getting 8,000 people a day," Cuellar said.
He said that the migrants need to be treated like human beings and said "they are being used as political pawns to get publicity."
Illegal immigrants arrive at Martha's Vineyard from Florida on Sept. 14, 2022. (AP)
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During ABC's "This Week," Karl asked Marc Short, former chief of staff to Mike Pence, if he felt comfortable with migrants being sent to the vice president's residence.
Short said the move by Abbott and DeSantis to send migrants to Washington, D.C., and Martha's Vineyard was to highlight the "hypocrisy" and "fake outrage" coming from Democrats and the media.
Karl pushed back and said "there is a difference in doing it in a coordinated fashion and just showing up at Martha’s Vineyard."
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