ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – There are still a lot of questions surrounding how the Florida Governor’s administration was able to fly three dozen migrants from Deming, New Mexico to California.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration has taken responsibility for flying 36 migrants from New Mexico to California’s capital. State leaders for both New Mexico and California said they had no notice.
The California Attorney General said the emigrants were picked up in El Paso and taken to New Mexico where they boarded charter flights from Deming Municipal Airport to Sacramento. The move took New Mexico leaders by surprise and now Attorney General Raul Torrez is looking into it.
“We are working with our colleagues at the California Department of Justice to determine if there’s been a violation of state law,” said Attorney General Torrez. “But regardless of that determination, I think it’s beneath the dignity of a great nation to use desperate people as pawns in this pathetic political stunt. America is better than that and anyone who had a hand in this should be ashamed of themselves.”
The Governor’s office is also speaking out. A spokesperson for the governor emailed KRQE the following statement:
“We were not given any advance notice that these chartered flights would happen. Regardless we, as always, are in close contact with local officials if support is needed. Governor Lujan Grisham stresses, yet again, the urgent need for comprehensive, thoughtful federal immigration reform which is rooted in a humanitarian response that keeps border communities in mind,” said Caroline Sweeney, a spokesperson for the governor.
House Republican Jenifer Jones, who represents the area, is also speaking out.
“It’s interesting when so-called progressive governments are forced to face the realities of the broken infrastructure of an outdated immigration system. Although it’s unclear whether these migrants lawfully accessed a port of entry or were seeking asylum, the cities these migrants are being flown to have a history of gloating their sanctuary city status. These are realities border communities live with daily. The current system is simply unsustainable,” she said in an emailed statement to KRQE.
KRQE also reached out to the mayor of Deming to see if he was aware of these flights or had any comment but did not hear back.