Florida Gov. DeSantis visits US-Mexico border
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made his first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border as a Republican presidential hopeful Wednesday, meeting with Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and other law enforcement officials in Sierra Vista.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Sheriff Grady Judd of Polk County, Florida, and Sheriff Wayne Ivey of Brevard County, Florida, were expected to participate in the discussion, which was held at Cochise College’s Sierra Vista campus.
Discussion topics were not released but immigration and the border were expected to be prevalent in the conversations. Cochise County officials have previously raised concerns about the high-speed chases that traverse the county as a result of human smuggling events near the border.
DeSantis’ visit to the Arizona border comes as he attempts to navigate the increasingly crowded Republican presidential candidate field ahead of the 2024 elections.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., tweeted that DeSantis’ “hate and fearmongering” are not welcome in Arizona as the congressman blasted DeSantis’ visit
Wednesday.
“@GovRonDeSantis is taking a break from fighting with Mickey, banning books, and demonizing LGBTQ kids to pander to the same old race-baiting, anti-immigrant, extremist politicians and officials in southern Arizona,” Grijalva wrote in the tweet.
DeSantis’ Arizona trip comes on the heels of Florida officials confirming that the state flew migrants from New Mexico to Sacramento Monday and last Friday.
The migrants boarded the flights voluntarily and were dropped off at a nonprofit, according to a spokesperson for Florida’s Division of Emergency Management.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested “kidnapping charges” could apply to Florida officials responsible for orchestrating the flights. Newsom said the state is investigating to see if any laws were broken.
Newsom called DeSantis a “small, pathetic man” in a tweet that referenced California’s penal code detailing the definition of kidnapping.
The flights to Sacramento are only the latest in a string of actions taken by DeSantis to underscore the impact of unauthorized immigration. In September, DeSantis arranged for 49 migrants to be flown from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard.