Bill > AR162

Introduced Session

This resolution condemns the actions of Governor Ron DeSantis that led to the events on September 14, 2022 when 50 documented asylees were relocated via private chartered plane from Texas to Martha's Vineyard with no alert to local authorities or aid organizations. Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida, financed the enticement and transport of migrants awaiting asylum hearings in Texas onto planes bound for Massachusetts. The destination, unbeknownst to the passengers, was desolate and chosen in an effort to embarrass the labors of his political opponents regarding immigration. Governor DeSantis took credit for the operation soon after their arrival. He exploited people fleeing tyranny to demonstrate his own political dexterity. Disturbing similarities exist between the governor's actions and those of human traffickers, as defined by Department of Homeland Security. Orchestrating a multi-state scheme to identify, entice, hold, and transport vulnerable people with false promises of a better life, only to abandon them in an isolated area outside of their jurisdiction is not the job of any governor. The federal government has sole dominion over the process of immigration, a fact not lost on the governor. Deception was employed both in luring asylees onto private flights, and in financing the enterprise with Florida state taxpayer dollars. The General Assembly of New Jersey condemns Governor DeSantis for this usage of people, namely his constituents and migrants, in an effort to elevate his political profile.

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Angela Mcknight (D)*,  Carol Murphy (D)*,  Sterley Stanley (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee (on 10/20/2022)

Official Document