SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday defended his state’s resolution to fly migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to California, arguing that the state had basically invited the migrants with its welcoming insurance policies towards immigrants.

DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, spoke at a gathering with sheriffs close to Arizona’s border with Mexico, pledging to get management of the border and flexing his muscle tissue on a signature difficulty for Donald Trump, his chief rival for the 2024 nomination.

“I think the border should be closed. I don’t think we should have any of this,” DeSantis mentioned. “But if there’s a policy to have an open border, then I think the sanctuary jurisdictions should be the ones that have to bear that.”

DeSantis’ administration mentioned this week that the three dozen migrants whom the state just lately flew from El Paso, Texas, to Sacramento at taxpayer expense all went willingly, disputing allegations that the people had been coerced to journey underneath false pretenses. California officers are investigating whether or not any violations of felony or civil regulation occurred.

For DeSantis, the give attention to immigration is an opportunity to spice up his credibility on a high difficulty for GOP main voters. He sees political upside in selecting a high-profile battle with liberal California and its Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who has turn out to be a bogeyman for a lot of on the precise.

It’s additionally a possibility for DeSantis to confront a problem that has been central to the attraction of Trump, who promised to construct a border wall and make Mexico pay for it. By the tip of his administration, the wall had not been completed and U.S. taxpayers had been on the hook for the billions of {dollars} it price.

This shouldn't be the primary time DeSantis has chartered planes to switch migrants throughout the nation. Last fall, Florida flew 49 Venezuelans to the upscale Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard.

California declared itself a “sanctuary” for immigrants after Trump was elected president, extending protections to folks residing within the nation illegally and permitting them to use for some state advantages. DeSantis mentioned these insurance policies function a magnet for folks searching for a greater life and make it more durable to crack down on unlawful immigration.

“The sanctuary jurisdictions are part of the reason we have this problem because they have endorsed and agitated for these types of open border policies,” DeSantis mentioned.

DeSantis didn't reply to Newsom, who raised the opportunity of kidnapping costs and referred to as DeSantis a “small, pathetic man.”

Immigration is a nationwide downside that border states shouldn’t should shoulder on their very own, DeSantis mentioned, including that the federal authorities ought to give states extra authority to implement immigration regulation on their very own. Beyond the migrant flights, he touted Florida’s different efforts to confront unlawful immigration past its borders, together with sending National Guard troopers and state regulation enforcement officers to Texas and interdicting migrant boats off Florida’s coast.

DeSantis mentioned Florida taxpayers are on board together with his use of state funds to maneuver migrants from Texas to California, saying it was a problem within the marketing campaign during which he was overwhelmingly reelected final yr. DeSantis in May signed a regulation allocating $12 million that can be utilized for migrant flights.

Two weeks after kicking off his presidential marketing campaign, DeSantis is in a distant second place behind Trump. He didn't point out his rival by title, taking goal as a substitute at President Joe Biden’s border insurance policies, which he blamed for the proliferation of medicine.

The Florida governor met with sheriffs from across the nation at a group school within the southeastern Arizona city of Sierra Vista, a conservative enclave that’s residence to many Border Patrol officers and sits subsequent to the Fort Huachuca Army base. Later, his aides mentioned he deliberate to go to the border however didn't permit journalists to return.

Trump’s tremendous PAC famous that DeSantis praised his rival’s immigration insurance policies on Twitter two years in the past and pointed to the previous president’s personal immigration plans. Trump has revived his pledge to finish birthright citizenship and his push to make use of the U.S. army to assault international drug cartels. He additionally has pushed the demise penalty for drug sellers.

In Arizona, DeSantis pledged to crack down on “bogus asylum claims” from individuals who wish to transfer to the U.S. for financial causes. He mentioned he's “sympathetic” to folks legitimately going through political persecution, however the U.S. may deny asylum claims from individuals who traveled by way of different secure international locations to get right here.

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