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Conservative firebrand Steve Bannon is voicing support for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after he sent dozens of migrants to Martha's Vineyard.
DeSantis has taken credit for sending about 50 migrant men, women and children, mostly Venezuelan, on two planes to the Massachusetts island on Wednesday. He told Fox News that he sent the "illegal migrants" to a progressive state to protest President Joe Biden's liberal immigration policies.
Bannon praised DeSantis for "making elites in Martha's Vineyard panic." DeSantis said during a press conference Thursday that he was helping migrants reach "greener pastures" while blaming Biden for allowing illegal drugs like fentanyl and "millions of millions of people" into the country.
"If you have folks that are inclined to think Florida is a good place, our message to them is, we are not a sanctuary state, and it's better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction," DeSantis said Thursday.
On Thursday, Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas sent migrants to the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, D.C.
"Governor DeSantis reinforces image as national leader in forcing illegal immigration to the top of the news," Bannon wrote on the social media platform Gettr.
Democrats are "seething with anger" and on their "back foot," Bannon added.
Bannon used immigration as a key issue to galvanize Republicans while he worked on former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, later becoming a chief strategist in the White House.
Bannon later encouraged former speechwriter Stephen Miller to have a bigger stake in the role of immigration in the administration. Trump's election led to a promotion to senior policy adviser for Miller, who was referred to by the Southern Poverty Law Center as "the driving force behind many of the administration's draconian immigration policies."
Bannon, one of the major proponents of Trump's "Build the Wall" campaign, recently turned himself in to authorities after being charged with two felony counts of money laundering, two felony counts of conspiracy and one felony count of a scheme to defraud.
It is alleged in court documents that the CEO of Bannon's former WeBuildTheWall organization received $20,000 monthly payments and a $100,000 upfront payment despite publicly stating that he would "personally not take a penny of compensation" for his work with the nonprofit.
Democrats helped fund the flights
The decision to send migrants to the North, with reported promises of jobs and housing upon arrival, has been compared to the Reverse Freedom Rides of 1962.
During the presidency of Democrat John F. Kennedy, white Southern segregationists tricked hundreds of Black Americans by bussing them north with similar promises as those allegedly offered by DeSantis.
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the actions of DeSantis and another Republican, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, "shameful, reckless and just plain wrong."
Dylan Fernandes, a Democratic Massachusetts state representative whose district includes Martha's Vineyard, ridiculed DeSantis for using migrants as "political pawns."
However, the $12 million allocation in Florida's budget to "transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations" paid for the flights for the migrants and was approved by 11 members of the Florida State Senate, including one female senator who called the DeSantis administration's actions "cruel."
Florida Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book, who also voted for the budget, tweeted that DeSantis' "puzzling decision to spend money from our state budget to send migrants to Martha's Vineyard is lacking in compassion and it may even violate the law."
Book and 10 other Florida Democrats were targeted by DeSantis' re-election campaign officials online.
On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for an investigation into possible criminal and civil violations by Abbott or DeSantis. Newsom said he was "horrified at the images" of the migrants, claiming the move was conducted "under false pretenses" and potentially illegal.
About the writer
Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek investigative reporter based in Michigan. His focus includes U.S. and international politics and policies, immigration, ... Read more