July 31 (UPI) — The Massachusetts district attorney who represents Martha’s Vineyard, where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew dozens of migrants last year on chartered flights, is now calling on the Justice Department to investigate.
Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday, urging the department to review transcripts of interviews with the 49 migrants, which Galibois argued shows they were misled.
“These interviews, coupled with other obtained evidence, would provide crucial support for my initial assessment as to whether further investigation is warranted,” Galibois wrote.
“My office posits that, due to the interstate transportation of these migrants, this alleged scheme remains available for federal prosecution,” Galibois added.
Last September, two chartered planes with dozens of migrants were flown from Texas, through Florida and to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. DeSantis said Florida paid for the flights under what he called his immigration relocation program to “insulate” Florida from the federal government’s immigration policies.
Earlier this month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom also called on the Justice Department to investigate Florida over the flights.
Newsom questioned the legality of transferring migrants and claimed they were deceived into taking the flights with promises of jobs, education and shelter.
“It is unconscionable to use people as political props by persuading them to travel to another state based on false or deceptive representations,” Newsom wrote in a letter.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody called California’s request “a ridiculous political stunt,” arguing California failed to name a specific law that was violated as she defended the migrant transfer as “lawful.”
“It is jarring that California is not competent enough to articulate even a minimal legal basis for its request,” Moody responded in a letter July 13.
A spokesperson for the DeSantis administration has not responded to Galibois’ request.
DeSantis spent the weekend making multiple stops in the primary state of New Hampshire, while also attending a fundraiser on Cape Cod for his 2024 Republican presidential campaign.
