Florida Governor Ron DeSantis triggered California Governor Gavin Newsom into a state of rage this week by sending his “sanctuary state” planes full of illegal aliens.
Florida officials confirmed that the state flew two private planes carrying illegal aliens to Sacramento, the capital city of California where Newsom resides, on Friday and Monday.
Newsom erupted, calling DeSantis a “small, pathetic man” in a tweet and suggesting that there could be forthcoming criminal charges for kidnapping.
In a subsequent interview with NBC News, Newsom said that he was being “very generous” by calling DeSantis “small” and “pathetic.” Newsom claimed that DeSantis was “weakness masquerading as strength, yeah, he’s flailing, desperate for attention.”
Newsom claimed that he knew for a fact that DeSantis lied to the migrants by telling them that they “had help on the other side.”
It is unclear what Newsom is angry over, considering the fact that he has openly championed the fact that his state is a sanctuary state for illegal aliens.
“Let me be clear, @realDonaldTrump: California is a sanctuary state,” Newsom tweeted in 2018. “We believe in the power of diversity. We have defied and resisted the xenophobic, hateful policies of your administration at every turn. We will do it again.”
The Florida Division of Emergency Management released a video showing that those who were transported went voluntarily.
WATCH:
BREAKING: Florida officials confirm to @FoxNews that FL flew migrants to California. They say the migrants went voluntarily, gave verbal & written consent, & provided video appearing to show migrants signing waivers, celebrating as they arrive, & saying they were treated well. pic.twitter.com/2RYYqVEjqD
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 6, 2023
“As you can see from this video, Florida’s voluntary relocation is precisely that – voluntary,” division of emergency management spokesperson Alecia Collins said in a statement. “Through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to California.”
Collins said that contractors were present and ensured that the migrants made it safely to a 3rd-party NGO, Catholic Charities, which is used and funded by the federal government.
“From left-leaning mayors in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, the relocation of those illegally crossing the United States border is not new,” Collins added. “But suddenly, when Florida sends illegal aliens to a sanctuary city, it’s false imprisonment and kidnapping.”
Newsom has repeatedly engaged in attacks on DeSantis in what many political analysts and pundits believe is an effort to raise his national profile in the off chance that he decides to run for president in 2024. Newsom has said he has said he will not challenge Biden in 2024.
DeSantis and former President Donald Trump are the top two contenders in the 2024 Republican Party presidential nomination by a wide margin.