The White House called Thursday a “shameful” the decision of Republican governors to send migrants to Washington or Martha’s Vineyard, a posh island in the northeast of the United States. For months, local Republican officials, in the forefront of which the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, or that of Florida, Ron DeSantis, have been transporting migrants in buses and planes to the Democratic strongholds of the country.
A way to denounce the policy of President Joe Biden, whom they accuse of having transformed the border with Mexico into a sieve, and of trying to place immigration at the center of the campaign for the mid-term elections in November.
These practices of sending migrants from the south to the north of the country have turned into a political battle, a few weeks before these high-stakes legislative elections. “It’s a cold and premeditated political maneuver”insisted the spokeswoman for the White House, Karine Jean-Pierre, accusing these tenors of the American right of using migrants as ” pions “in a manner “cruel”.
“Residents of Martha’s Vineyard should be thrilled”
On Thursday morning, two buses carrying migrants arrived near the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington. A place obviously chosen on purpose, the Democratic official being in charge of the explosive file of immigration at the White House. They had been sent by the very conservative Greg Abbott, campaigning for his re-election in this state at the forefront of the wave of illegal immigration from Central American countries.
“Vice President Harris claims our border is secure and denies there is a crisis. We are sending migrants to his backyard to urge the Biden administration to do its job and secure the border”, tweeted the governor of Texas. He claims to have already sent 10,000 migrants since April to Washington, New York and more recently Chicago.
On Wednesday, the influential Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, joined this movement, claiming to send two migrant planes to the island of Martha’s Vineyard, a mythical vacation spot for the wealthy who hosted the Kennedys, the Clinton or the Obamas. A group of about 50 Venezuelan migrants, including children, arrived on this island on the Atlantic coast of New England on Wednesday, a region rich in elites, often targeted by conservatives.
Although the governor of Florida organized the transport, the planes were arriving from Texas and not from his state, according to the local newspaper MV Times and a local politician. “Migrants are being landed at Martha’s Vineyard by charter flights from Texas. Many don’t know where they are. They say they were told they would be given accommodation and employment”tweeted Wednesday evening a local Democrat, Dylan Fernandes.
Ron DeSantis, also a candidate for re-election, is seen as a potential rival for former President Donald Trump in the race for the White House in 2024. During a speech Thursday, the Republican denounced “the deception” democratic States, which advocate the reception of migrants. “As soon as we bring even a small fraction of what the border towns have to go through every day, they are furious”he shouted.
“Residents of Martha’s Vineyard should be thrilledhad quipped Wednesday on Twitter Christina Pushaw, member of its communication team. Illegal migrants will make the city more diverse, which is a strength. Nope ? »
“A revolting and cruel political coup”
Immigration policy, an explosive subject in the United States, is even more so a few weeks before the high-stakes mid-term elections. Immigration is a favorite theme for Republicans, and moving migrants in spectacular operations offers them an opportunity to put the debate back at the center of the news.
Transport these migrants to Martha’s Vineyard and Washington “was a necessity”commented Andy Biggs, Republican representative of Arizona, a state whose governor also sends migrant buses. “Democratic leaders must come down from their ivory tower and face reality”did he declare.
Conversely, the Democratic mayor of New York, Eric Adams, promised Thursday to focus on welcoming, not rejecting, migrants. “Exploiting vulnerable people as part of a political coup is appalling and cruel”for her part, was indignant Elizabeth Warren, senator from Massachusetts, where the island of Martha’s Vineyard is located.
Charlie Crist, Democratic opponent of Ron DeSantis in the race for governor in Florida, denounced a “political calculation” aiming to “serve fresh meat to his electoral base”. The candidate denounced the price of this operation, saying that Florida was spending “12 million dollars to send innocent immigrant children away from our state”.