California Gov. Gavin Newsom called on the Department of Justice to charge Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with kidnapping for sending illegal immigrants to other parts of the country, the Globe reported Friday.
Governors Abbott and DeSantis have been sending illegal immigrants who have illegally crossed the U.S. border to Sanctuary Cities Chicago, Martha’s Vineyard, Washington D.C. and New York City. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott even sent two buses of immigrants to Washington, D.C. to Vice President Kamala Harris’ D.C. home.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Gov. Newsom asked whether actions by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sending illegal immigrants from their respective states to destinations such as New York City, Washington, D.C. Chicago, and Martha’s Vineyard were illegal, akin to “kidnapping.”
Let’s unpack Gov. Newsom’s adolescent, exaggerated statements and barbs directed particularly toward Gov. DeSantis.
“This is nothing more than a stunt, but it’s done with intention — cruel intention to humiliate and dehumanize,” Newsom told McClatchy’s California editorial boards in an interview Thursday.
A “stunt” by the Florida governor with “cruel intention to humiliate and dehumanize.” DeSantis said Florida is not a sanctuary state, so he’s sending the illegal immigrants to states where they will be welcomed based on their sanctuary status.
Sanctuary policies are those followed by towns, cities, counties, and states, that restrict most forms of cooperation with federal immigration authorities. So the illegal immigrants should be welcomed.
“It’s disgraceful, it’s repugnant and, I would argue, it’s illegal,” Newsom said.
Let’s start with the first illegal act – those who illegally crossed the United States border, some having traveled 1,000 miles to do so because they knew they would be let in. So Governors DeSantis and Abbott sending the illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities and states is actually an act of kindness.
“I think we’ve crossed the Rubicon of any decency,” Newsom said.
The phrase “crossing the Rubicon” means that one is passing a point of no return based on General Julius Caesar’s crossing the Rubicon in 49 B.C., a stream separating Rome from the province of Gaul. Crossing the Rubicon began a civil war that would end the Roman Republic.
Is the very constitutional federal republic of the United States threatened because Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent 50 illegal immigrants from his non-sanctuary state of Florida to the sanctuary of Martha’s Vineyard?
Newsom said DeSantis is “focused on demonizing and othering. He looks to vulnerable communities to exploit them purely for monetary and political purposes. He fund-raises off all of this.”
First, who says “othering?” Secondly, not only is Gov. Newsom also running for reelection, I recall that he donated $100,000 to DeSantis’ opponent and former Florida Governor Charlie Crist. And earlier this summer Newsom released a campaign ad in Florida claiming, “Freedom, it’s under attack in your state. Republican leaders, they’re banning books, making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors.” It was cringeworthy. And fabricated and preposterous.
Gov. Newsom needs new speech writers. His hyperbolic statements make him appear as if he’s trying to use his word-a-day desk calendar, and doing it quite poorly.
Newsom’s obfuscation is a giant distraction from the dumpster fire California has become under his tutelage.
Does Florida have such a debilitated power grid that electric car owners are told not to charge them at night?
Does Florida have homeless drug addicts pooping on the sidewalks, shooting up heroin and meth in public, pitching tents in public parks and along streets in front of businesses?
Does Florida have such a crime spike that Starbucks and Jamba Juice have closed over safety concerns; where state law reduced a host of felonies to misdemeanors, including drug crimes, date rape, and all thefts under $950, even for repeat offenders who steal every day?
Does Florida have a median home cost more than $800,000?
Does Florida have a water shortage, telling residents they can only water their lawns once a week?
Does Florida have an annual “wildfire season,” burning entire towns and forests every year?
Did Florida Governor Ron DeSantis lock his entire state down for two years, shut down “non-essential” businesses, close all schools beaches, parks, and churches, order double masking, issue orders for mandatory Covid vaccinations, and still clings to his State-of-Emergency powers?
Did Gov. Ron DeSantis create a Ministry of Truth in his state to go after political enemies and speech he does not approve of? (hint: Gov. Newsom just did)
If Gov. Newsom showed even a fraction of compassion to the people who live in California that he claims to have for the illegal immigrants shipped to Sanctuary cities and states, California would not be bleeding residents to Florida and other Red States or losing congressional seats or have hundreds of thousands of businesses fleeing high taxes and the hostile business environment.
Here is the hysterical Sacramento Bee editorial board analysis of this:
“Newsom rightly called the Florida governor ‘America’s chief bully.’ Indeed, one of the most powerful politicians in one of the world’s wealthiest nations orchestrated this grotesque spectacle at the expense of the truly powerless, some of them children as young as 3. All were in desperate enough straits to leave their faraway homes and throw themselves on the mercy of Americans. In DeSantis’ case, there was no such mercy.”
In California residents’ case, there is no such mercy either. Gov. Newsom can’t run for reelection on his record, so he’s attacking the governors who are successful. He’s failed up his entire political career. But maybe, just maybe, the 39 million people living in California will finally notice that our state is looking more and more like one of the third-world shithole countries then-President Trump criticized. Gov. Newsom told Trump to resign over for saying that.
Notably, not one of the Sanctuary State Governors or Sanctuary City Mayors or Gov. Newsom has actually addressed the millions of illegal immigrants who have crossed the southern border, the human trafficking, the violence and rape of women, the 700 who dies, or the record amount of illegal drugs including fentanyl coming through the open border. Instead they aimed their dishonest judgement at Governors DeSantis and Abbott for what they claim is a “humanitarian crisis.” But apparently it’s not enough of a “humanitarian crisis” to stop the flow of illegal immigrants at the border.
