California AG Bonta calls out Florida Gov. DeSantis over migrants flown to Sacramento
SACRAMENTO — California's top cop is calling out presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after the migrants were flown into Sacramento and dumped as "political pawns."
Attorney General Rob Bonta says 16 asylum seekers were flown into Sacramento Friday night on a private jet from Texas by a Florida state contractor — a company called Vertol Systems.
The migrants from Venezuela and Colombia were promised work if they boarded the plane and were then left outside a Sacramento Catholic diocese building with nothing.
Faith-based Sacramento Area Congregations Together (ACT) is helping care for the group.
"They're human beings, they're people with families," Cecilia Flores with ACT told CNN. "There's some young people that are just trying to make a life for themselves. There are people who left children behind in this group."
In 2022, DeSantis claimed credit for flying a group of migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard using the same contractor. It was a political statement against democratic states he views as anti-immigration reform.
Now, Bonta is calling him out for the same stunt — only this one is putting Sacramento at center stage.
"It's very strange at best. It's potentially illegal. It could violate criminal law, it could violate civil laws, so we're going to continue the investigation. We're going to get to the bottom of that," Bonta told CNN.
Gov. DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
ACT says the asylum seekers have court dates soon around the country that they may now miss.