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CBSFeb 27
DeSantis Might Send Haitian Migrants to Martha's Vineyard
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The Facts
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday in an interview with conservative radio host Dana Loesch hinted he might send Haitian migrants, who are fleeing to his state illegally because of the island's gang crisis, to Martha’s Vineyard.
Previously, DeSantis last week announced the deployment of additional security and surveillance personnel to the Florida Keys in anticipation of an influx of migrants from Haiti. He said in his interview that it’s easier to return them home if they’re apprehended at sea.
The Spin
Republican narrative
DeSantis has an obligation to protect his state, and although it's tragic that Haiti has descended into chaos, the US has no obligation to accept thousands of people. If the federal government won't allow Florida to return migrants who enter the US illegally home, then DeSantis has no choice but to send them to the Democrat-run states that are actively inviting this mass migration.
Democratic narrative
DeSantis is showing he lacks basic human empathy and only cares about scoring political points. These refugees are desperate to get out of crisis-stricken Haiti, yet DeSantis and other Republicans have no worries rejecting them or shipping them farther from home. This is particularly galling considering how many leaders of Florida's Haitian-American community have friends and family stuck in this chaos.