California governor Gavin Newsom (D.) called on the Department of Justice to investigate Florida for transporting illegal migrants to Democratic states.
"It is unconscionable to use people as political props by persuading them to travel to another state based on false or deceptive representations," the letter from Newsom, California attorney general Rob Bonta, and Texas county sheriff Javier Salazar said. The trio call on the Biden administration's DOJ to probe "potential violations of federal law" by Florida governor Ron DeSantis's (R.) administration.
DeSantis has sent migrants to Democratic states and cities that claim to be "sanctuaries" several times. He famously sent migrants to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, the majority of whom were then quickly removed from the majority-liberal island.
Florida in June oversaw the flight of migrants to Sacramento, after which Newsom threatened kidnapping charges for DeSantis.
"@RonDeSantis you small, pathetic man," Newsom tweeted. "This isn't Martha's Vineyard. Kidnapping charges?"
Newsom pointed to a California law that spells out the potential charge. "Every person, who being out of this state, abducts or takes by force or fraud any person contrary to the law of the place where that act is committed, and brings, sends, or conveys that person within the limits of this state ... is guilty of kidnapping," the law reads.
Newsom in the letter accused Florida of misleading migrants about the opportunities they'd have at their destinations. Newsom, however, has advertised many times that his state welcomes migrants. "Let me be clear, @realDonaldTrump: California is a sanctuary state," he 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."
DeSantis in June said Newsom's sanctuary policies are responsible for the United States' border crisis.
"These sanctuary jurisdictions are part of the reason we have this problem, because they have endorsed and agitated for these types of open-border policies," DeSantis said at the time. "They have bragged that they are sanctuary jurisdictions."