Sanctuary State of California and woke Gov. Gavin Newsom are investigating a “state-sanctioned kidnapping” after 16 migrants were dropped without “warning” on the doorstep of a Sacramento church.
The young Venezuelan and Colombian men and women were dropped off outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento on Friday without “warning” and each carrying only a backpack full of belongings, said Eddie Carmona, campaign director at PICO California, a faith-based organization that organizes the helped migrants.
The migrants had entered Texas via the southern border. California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement saying they were transported from Texas to New Mexico before being flown to Sacramento.
But Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a separate statement saying the migrants were in possession of documents allegedly showing they had arrived from Florida.
They were already being processed by US immigration officials and were getting court dates on their asylum cases when “people representing a private contractor” approached them outside a migrant center in El Paso, Texas, Carmona said.
16 Venezuelan and Colombian migrants who entered the US via Texas were transported by private plane to Sacramento, California and left outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento (pictured).
A humanitarian group is investigating whether the migrants were deceived and misled into not knowing their whereabouts. Pictured: migrants at the border in Mexico before entering the United States
“They were lied to and deliberately deceived,” Carmona said, adding that the migrants had no idea where they were after they were dropped off in Sacramento.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg compared the crime to human smuggling.
“Whoever is behind this has to answer the following question: Is there anything more gruesome than using terrified people to earn cheap political points?” Steinberg asked in a statement.
“Sacramento represents the best of American values.” We always welcome the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses, and we always will.”
Gov. Newsom said he and Attorney General Rob Bonta met with the group of migrants Saturday and learned they were transported from Texas to New Mexico and then flown to Sacramento on a private chartered jet.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he is working with the California Department of Justice to determine whether criminal misconduct took place, including who paid for the group’s travel
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who announced his 2024 presidential nomination last month, has been heavily criticized for his tough stance on immigration. He is pictured in Iowa on Sunday
Bonta said the migrants had documents “purportedly from the Florida state government.”
“State-sanctioned kidnappings are not a public policy decision, they are immoral and heinous,” Bonta wrote.
“We are a nation built by immigrants, and we must condemn the cruelty and hateful rhetoric of those who refuse to recognize humanity and turn away from showing dignity and caring for their fellow human beings, be they heads of state or private parties.” He walked on.
Bonta said his agency is “investigating the circumstances under which these individuals were brought to California” and “is considering possible criminal or civil action against those who transported or held responsible for the transportation of these vulnerable immigrants.”
It’s not clear who was responsible for transporting the group to Sacramento on Friday.
The group said all migrants have yet to appear in court and that transporting them to California under false pretenses would disrupt their due process.
Newsom said he is also working with the California Department of Justice to determine whether criminal misconduct took place, including who paid for the group’s trip and “whether the people who organized this trip sent anyone with false promises into the… Misled or violated any criminal law, including kidnapping.” .’
“We are working closely with the Mayor’s Office and local and charitable partners to ensure that people who have arrived are treated with respect and dignity and get to their intended destination while pursuing their immigration cases,” Newsom said in a statement.
For the past year, Republican governors in Texas and Florida have been bussing and flying migrants without warning to Democratic strongholds and so-called sanctuary cities like New York City, Chicago and Washington, DC
“I am deeply pained by what has happened recently with the fraudulent donation of our undocumented brothers and sisters in the Sacramento area.”
“This politically polarizing act is heartbreaking, yet I rejoice to be part of a movement that brings the love of God and goodwill against the injustices and political wickedness affecting our vulnerable brothers and sisters,” said Rev. Efrem Smith, President of Sacramento ACT. said the Sacramento Bee.
Rabbi Mona Alfi of the B’nai Israel congregation told the newspaper that what happened to the migrants was “a moral travesty” and that “these people are, no different from you or me, just caring for their families want to care and live a peaceful life and they deserve to be treated better.’
For the past year, Republican governors in Texas and Florida have been bussing and flying migrants without warning to Democratic strongholds and so-called sanctuary cities like New York City, Chicago and Washington, DC to draw attention to what matters, they say it is the failed border policy of the Biden government.
DeSantis, who last month announced his 2024 presidential candidacy and has been widely criticized for his tough stance on immigration, is expected to come to Sacramento himself on June 19 to attend a fundraiser breakfast costing $3,300 per seat.
Newsom has spoken out against DeSantis — and ran ads in Florida — since she was elected in 2018, whom he called “America’s chief bully.”