Gov. Ron DeSantis wants state lawmakers to allocate another $12 million to transport undocumented immigrants arriving to other states.
Last year, the legislature appropriated $12 million for DeSantis to transport undocumented immigrants who were already in Florida out of state, but he's so far used that money to fly immigrants out of Texas.
At a press conference on Wednesday, DeSantis unveiled his budget proposal, which includes another $12 million to transport undocumented immigrants "from any point of origin in the U.S. to any jurisdiction." This time, the provision states the governor may use those dollars to transport migrants living in other states to any jurisdiction.
"I think people are sick of having an open border with no rule of law in this country," DeSantis told reporters. "We can just sit here and do nothing about it or we can actually stand up and say whatever tools we have at our disposal, we are going to use."
In September, DeSantis spent $1.5 million to fly mostly Venezuelan immigrants from San Antonio, Texas to Martha's Vineyard.
DeSantis' administration is facing lawsuits over the move. The Florida Department of Transportation has budgeted at least $500,000 for attorney's fees to defend the action in court. Of that, about $155,000 has been paid, state record show.
Copyright 2023 WFSU
