FIRST ON FOX: Florida officials confirmed on Tuesday that the state is behind multiple migrant flights to California in recent days, saying that the migrants on board gave their consent.
The flights have sparked a furious response and accusations of kidnapping from California’s governor and attorney general.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management told Fox News in an email that Florida flew the migrants to California as part of a voluntary relocation.Â
“Through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to California. A contractor was present and ensured they made it safely to a 3rd-party NGO,” the email said. The office also provided video of what appeared to be migrants signing consent forms, and talking about how they were treated “super well.”
California officials had said earlier this week that two planes full of migrants had landed at different airports on Friday and Monday, and that they believed the flights came as part of the Florida’s voluntary migrant transportation program — which flies migrants to “sanctuary jurisdictions” across the country.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation in February expanding the program, called the “unauthorized alien transport program,” with an extra $12 million in funding.
NEWSOM THREATENS DESANTIS WITH ‘KIDNAPPING CHARGES’ OVER MIGRANT FLIGHTS TO SACRAMENTOÂ
“Florida is using all tools available to protect our citizens from Biden’s open border policies,” he tweeted at the time.
But both Attorney General Rob Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom have accused Florida of exploiting the migrants. On MSNBC, Bonta said that the migrants had been promised help to find jobs if they traveled on the flights.
“The State of Florida needs to be held accountable for these actions,” he said. “These actions are cruel, they’re inhumane, they’re morally bankrupt, they’re wrong.”
He said it was a “cheap political act to get cheap political points.” Bonta had previously issued a statement calling the move…
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