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Florida legislators are suing Governor Ron DeSantis and other state officials for arranging the move of immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
State Senator Jason Pizzo, a Democrat who represents the Miami-Dade area, said in the new lawsuit that using Florida funds to move immigrants from another state constitutes an unfair use of those funds. and is in violation of Florida law. The lawsuit also calls on the judge to stop such transfers.
“It’s very clear and straightforward,” Pizzo said in an interview, as reported by the Miami Herald. “The governor has introduced and passed bills designed to fit his legislators’ agenda and then signed them into law. And even in that perfectly privileged position, he still cannot comply with the law. Set the rules of the game and then he can’t follow them.”
The Florida legislature previously approved $12 million in the state’s transportation budget to move illegal immigrants into Florida. But in the lawsuit, Pizzo argued that DeSantis did not use those funds in a proper manner because he moved immigrants who were not originally in Florida, not “unauthorized aliens.” is doing.
Ron DeSantis sends two planes of illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard
Two planes carrying 48 Venezuelan immigrants flew from San Antonio to the gorgeous Massachusetts island with a brief landing in Florida.
DeSantis’ director of communications Taryn Fenske has dismissed the new 15-page lawsuit, saying Pizzo is simply seeking “15 minutes of fame.”
“Senator Pizzo never lets up on his 15 minutes of fame and is challenging the actions he voted for on the budget,” Fenske told the outlet.
The lawsuit also names Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, the Florida Department of Transportation, and the agency’s secretary, Jared Perdue.
In a statement to the paper, Patronis noted that Pizzo voted to pass the first $12 million appropriation bill, and said DeSantis’ office is operating accordingly.
Devin Garetta, director of communications for the Florida Department of Financial Services, echoed the statement, saying his office is exploring counterclaim options.
RON DESANTIS, other Florida official hit in class action lawsuit by immigrants who flew to Massachusetts
“Senator Pizzo, along with minority leader Lauren Book, voted in favor of a $12 million budget to relocate immigrants,” wrote Galetta. “Now that the laws they voted for are in force and the border crisis is in the spotlight, Pizzo and Book went to the same old handbook and hired Democratic lawyers to track down the executive branch that followed the law. We have received the submission and are currently considering options for sanctions and/or counterclaims.”
The lawsuit comes after a civil rights attorney filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of illegal immigrants who were flown into Martha’s Vineyard.
The lawsuit alleges that DeSantis “designed and carried out a deliberate, fraudulent and illegal scheme centered around exploiting this vulnerability for the sole purpose of furthering personal, economic and political gain. ”I claim.
Governor DeSantis’ spokesperson, Taryn Fenske, described the class action lawsuit as a “political drama.”
“If these activists spend even a fraction of this time and effort at the border, they will likely put illegal immigrants on the dangerous and often deadly journey through Central America, putting their lives in the hands of cartels and coyotes.” said Fenske.
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She added: “Immigrants were homeless, hungry and abandoned. At the time, these activists didn’t care about them. Florida’s program gave them a fresh start in the sanctuary state and these people chose to take a charter flight to Massachusetts.”
Some Democratic officials have called on the federal government to investigate the shipment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.