Texas sheriff investigating DeSantis' Martha's Vineyard flights has partisan, pro-Biden history

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FIRST ON FOX: Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, who opened a criminal investigation this week into migrant flights organized by Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to Martha's Vineyard, is a liberal activist who has several social media posts supporting President Biden among other Democrats.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Salazar posted a Facebook livestream video in front of a Biden-Harris campaign bus alongside failed Democratic House candidate Wendy Davis and Monica Alcántara, the chairwoman of the Bexar County Democrats, where he is referred to as Alcántara’s "co-host."

"We hope to see you guys at some of the polling sites. We’re very, very excited, super energized. We’re voting until ten o’clock tonight, so we hope to see you guys at one of our stops," Salazar said in the livestream posted on Oct. 30, 2020.

A few minutes later, Salazar participated in an early voting video announcement with Alcántara, where he says, "Vote blue" and she finishes the sentence with "all the way through." The livestream goes on to show the three Democrats on the Biden-Harris campaign bus chatting about various topics. At one point, Salazar called Davis a "rock star" and said he was "very proud" to have her on the bus.

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Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar stand in front of a Biden-Harris campaign bus alongside failed Democratic House candidate Wendy Davis (C) and Monica Alcántara (R) in a Facebook livestream video posted by Salazar on Oct. 20, 2020. (Facebook screenshot/Sheriff Javier Salazar)

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Davis replied by lavishing praise on Salazar for his "energy" and credited him for helping Democrats up-and-down the ballot.

In another Facebook video from Oct. 5, 2020, the same trio are seen holding yard signs of the Democratic candidates and encouraging voters to stop by to pick them up. Salazar posted in July 2020 that "4 Salazar votes" were cast for Alcántara’s re-election campaign for Bexar County Democrats chairwoman, calling her a "friend."

A few days after 2020 election, Salazar posted an undated photo of himself shaking hands with Biden alongside his wife, who was holding Biden's hand. The caption was, "Congratulations, Mr. President-Elect."

Salazar has also posted several other photos posing with Democrats and expressing support for Democratic candidates.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar (Bexar County Sheriff's Office)

In a photo posted to Salazar’s official Facebook page earlier this month, Salazar is seen smiling with a group of nearly a dozen people wearing "Beto for Texas" shirts at the San Antonio AFL-CIO Labor Day breakfast, calling the event "successful."

In another Facebook post from early September, Salazar encouraged his followers to join him in blockwalking to support the campaigns of Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales and Peter Sakai, who is running for the Bexar County judge position. 

Gonzales, who Salazar called his "partner in crime fighting" back in 2020, has made several headlines dating back to 2018 when it was reported that the Texas Justice & Public Safety PAC, which has received over $3 million from liberal billionaire George Soros, was instrumental in helping Gonzales in his Democratic primary and becoming the district attorney, according to the Capital Research Center's "Influence Watch" project.

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Gonzales is also endorsed by the "Real Justice PAC," which was founded by far-left Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King.

Five days ago, Salazar said in a Facebook video alongside Gonzales and Judge Mary Lou Alvarez that he is supporting them because they are "good friends" of his and because they are "great public servants."

Salazar's 2020 Facebook album showcasing his endorsements includes the Texas Organizing Project (TOP), which he says has been "pivotal" in several Democratic races, including his own, adding that "their support helped me get here and their support will help me continue serving as your Sheriff." In 2019, TOP received a two-year grant of $700K from Soros' Open Society Policy Center for "organizational support," according to the organization's third quarter lobbying activities. 

In a 2019 Facebook post, Salazar posted a photo of him with activists from TOP with a caption that said, "I would like to thank the members of Texas Organizing Project that stopped by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office this week. It’s always a pleasure working with TOP." In another post from 2016, Salazar said TOP "improves the lives of low and moderate income Texas families by building power through community organizing and civic engagement" and included them on his 2016 campaign website, according to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

On June 30, 2019, the sheriff posted a photo posing with two participants at a gun control march holding signs that read, "Disarm hate," and "Arms are for hugging."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded Tuesday to critics of him flying migrants to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. (WTVT)

Salazar said Tuesday that he was opening a criminal investigation over migrants who were "lured" from the Migrant Resource Center under "false pretenses" and flown to Florida, where they were ultimately left to fend for themselves in Martha’s Vineyard, he said in a video message to announce the probe. 

"Here we have 48 people that are already on hard times. They are here legally in our country at that point," he said. "I believe that they were preyed upon. Somebody came from out of state, preyed upon these people, lured them with promises of a better life, which is absolutely what they were looking for."

DeSantis has said he is responsible for two charter flights that flew Venezuelan migrants from San Antonio to Florida and onward to Martha's Vineyard. 

Illegal immigrants arrive at Martha's Vineyard Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (Video obtained by Fox News)

In a statement, DeSantis' office said migrants have been abandoned in Bexar County and "left to fend for themselves."

"Florida gave them an opportunity to seek greener pastures in a sanctuary jurisdiction that offered greater resources for them, as we expected. Unless the MA national guard has abandoned these individuals, they have been provided accommodations, sustenance, clothing and more options to succeed following their unfair enticement into the United States, unlike the 53 immigrants who died in a truck found abandoned in Bexar County this June," the statement said, referring to the deaths of 53 migrants found in a locked commercial in San Antonio truck earlier this year.

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A spokesperson for Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Salazar's investigation is not politically motivated. 

"As Sheriff Javier Salazar mentioned previously, this investigation is not politically motivated, but was rather launched to investigate whether any criminal offense occurred in Bexar County regarding the migrants who reported being lured from Bexar County and flown to Martha’s Vineyard under false pretenses," the spokesperson said.

"Additionally, this investigation is in the preliminary stages. Once an update becomes available regarding this investigation we will share those findings publicly."