Florida Acknowledges Sending Migrants To California on 7th June

Florida authorities on Tuesday recognized the sending of planes with immigrants to California, but said they went consensually, “voluntarily”, and published a video to prove it, where some are seen thanking them for the trip.

In the video published today by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) on the Rumble platform, migrants can be seen signing some documents and celebrating their arrival in California.

The video appears to be a response to claims by California officials that transfers to this state of immigrants caught on the border with Mexico could be considered kidnapping under California law.

The video, which also includes still images, shows at least a dozen young immigrants riding a bus while singing and joking . They are also seen boarding some small propeller planes.

“I am very grateful for my room because being traveling and on the street, exposed to paramilitaries, Maras Salvatruchas and everything that may be in Central America… and arriving in a safe place and meeting often beautiful people like you… We are very grateful” says one of the immigrants to the camera.

In a statement sent to the media today by Amelia Johnson, FDEM spokeswoman, she stressed that the relocation of these immigrants was “voluntary.”

“As you can see in this video, the Florida voluntary relocation is just that – voluntary. Through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated that they wanted to go to California,” she maintained.

“ A contractor was present and made sure they reached an external NGO safely . The specific NGO, Catholic Charities, is used and funded by the federal government,” Johnson added.

So far, the governor of Florida, also a candidate for the Republican primaries to aspire to the White House, has not commented on the subject.

DeSantis, who has made the fight against irregular immigration the workhorse of his electoral campaign, has promoted a law against the undocumented that will take effect on July 1 and is one of the toughest in the country.

Meanwhile, the Prosecutor’s Office of a Texas county is considering the presentation of criminal charges for the shipment in 2022 of migrants to Massachusetts by the DeSantis administration , at a time when the Republican apparently repeated this week new air transfers, this time to California.

The Bexar County (Texas) Sheriff, Javier Salazar, announced Monday that his office has completed the investigation into the transfer last September of some 49 migrants, mostly Venezuelans, from San Antonio (Texas) to Martha’s Vineyard Island, and found evidence to make charges.

On the other hand, the Florida authorities announced this Tuesday that the forces sent to Texas by DeSantis to collaborate in the operation Lone Star (Lone Star) of border control have contacted more than 5,800 undocumented immigrants and detained more than 190 people. .

The arrests have to do with serious crimes such as people smuggling, robbery, drug possession and illegal possession of weapons, among others, according to an official statement.

As part of the arrests, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agents helped seize cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, firearms and ammunition boxes.

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