“The Government of Mexico emphatically condemns the practice of transporting migrant persons from states bordering Mexico toward other parts of the United States with electoral and political ends,” the Mexican foreign ministry said in a statement.
Last September, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent dozens of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts in a migrant relocation effort that has been slammed by other leaders as a political stunt. On a plane sent by the Florida government, 49 migrants were flown to Martha's Vineyard from San Antonio, Texas, prompting an investigation from the local sheriff's office, who has since filed a criminal case against DeSantis.
Rachel Self, attorney for the migrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard, has also called for DeSantis to be prosecuted, saying many of her clients did not know where they were being sent, and were sent under false pretenses after being promised jobs or payment.“
"The fact that no charges have yet been filed has clearly left the Florida authorities with the impression that they can keep acting this way with impunity,” she said in a statement. “The people who perpetrated this need to know: no matter who you are, you aren’t above the law. A lesson needs to be taught.”
Recently, multiple flights of South American migrants unexpectedly arrived in Sacramento, which the Florida government has since taken credit for. California Governor Gavin Newsom has threatened kidnapping charges against DeSantis and those in his administration involved in the transports, calling the Florida governor a "small, pathetic man."
While the majority of migrants entering the United States through the southern border are Venezuelan, many of the migrants forcefully transported between states hail from Mexico. Despite this, the country's government had not yet commented on DeSantis' flights until recently.
“The Secretariat of Foreign relations reiterates its commitment to guarantee the defense of Mexican persons who live abroad, independently of their migratory status,” the Mexican foreign ministry's statement continues. “Legal and diplomatic measures will be explored given this worrying practice.”
