Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) invoked the deaths of dozens of illegal immigrants who died in a tractor trailer in Texas earlier this year after a sheriff in the county where the illegals died opened an investigation into him.
Speaking to Fox News’ Sean Hannity Monday, DeSantis pointed out the outrage over him sending Venezuelan migrants to Martha’s Vineyard is notably louder than the outrage when 50+ migrants died in a sweltering big rig in Bexar County.
“It’s really frustrating. Millions of people since Biden’s been president, illegally coming across the southern border. Did they freak out about that? No,” DeSantis told Hannity.
“You’ve had migrants die in the Rio Grande — you had 50 die in Texas in a trailer because they were being neglected. Was there a freakout about that? No, there wasn’t,” DeSantis said, adding that all migrants transported from Bexar County to Martha’s Vineyard did so voluntarily and signed consent forms.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar announced Monday his office had opened an investigation into the governor’s transport of illegals to Martha’s Vineyard, claiming the governor “lured” them from a Migrant Resource Center in Bexar County and “ultimately left [them] to fend for themselves in Martha’s Vineyard, MA.”
On Tuesday, DeSantis’ office shot back with a statement saying the migrants were being provided for by the Mass. National Guard, which was more than he could say for the 50+ illegals who died in Sheriff Salazar’s jurisdiction.
“Immigrants have been more than willing to leave Bexar County after being abandoned, homeless, 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,” a statement from DeSantis’ communications rep stated.
The Florida governor’s mic drop moment was immortalized with memes on social media.
— Rafaella Gabriela Sarsaparilla (@magic_mom14) September 19, 2022
— GAGirl1967 has hope for the future!! 🇺🇸 (@Tamzilla_52) September 20, 2022
Mic drop
— Butt Retler (@RockintheC) September 19, 2022
— Captain Kangaroo Pimp (@SederVCU) September 19, 2022
Selective performative outrage from the Dems.
Wouldn’t expect any less. pic.twitter.com/yBMuFJV0M5— 🇺🇸❤️🤍💙spinderellski💙🤍❤️🇺🇸 (@spinderellski) September 20, 2022
On Tuesday, a non-profit group called Alianza Americas representing the illegals filed a class-action lawsuit against DeSantis over the stunt.
Fox News reports the group “has received nearly $1.4 million from George Soros’ Open Society network.”
