Right now, human beings are being used as political stunts. In an effort to embolden their base, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have proudly boasted that they have put thousands of migrants on buses and planes to D.C., Chicago, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, Martha’s Vineyard, and Sacramento.
DeSantis’ administration has even gone so far as to pass a law that would fund the transportation of migrants and asylum seekers. The cruelty of these elected “leaders” cannot be understated. The legality of these moves has been called into question. There must be a full U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Abbott and DeSantis—they must be held accountable for these human rights abuses.
Because Abbott and DeSantis have yet to be held accountable, they continue their political stunt at the expense of actual humans. These governors have lured and manipulated migrants to board buses and planes with false promises of employment and housing opportunities. They have misappropriated taxpayer funds in order to pull off this heinous stunt, which amounts to nothing more than veiled human trafficking.
Massachusetts lawyer Rachel Self puts it simply: “We believe they are victims of kidnapping. … They were told there was a ‘surprise present’ for them, and that there would be jobs and housing awaiting them when they arrived. This was obviously a sadistic lie.”
Some have made attempts at accountability. Following flights that transported dozens of migrants from the U.S. state to Martha’s Vineyard under the direction of DeSantis, a county sheriff in Texas completed a criminal investigation that found 48 migrants were “lured under false pretenses.” He is recommending charges be filed against DeSantis.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is also looking into the legality following migrant arrivals in Sacramento:
Newsom said that his administration is working with the agency to “investigate the circumstances around” who paid for the plane trips, whether migrants were misled and whether laws were violated, including kidnapping.
It is past time for the DOJ to step in. There must be an investigation into whether these heinous stunts amount to human trafficking and/or kidnapping. Join us in demanding that the DOJ immediately investigate Abbott and DeSantis.
Sign the petition: Don’t let Govs. Abbott and DeSantis use people as political pawns.
