California officials join Texas sheriff in calling for federal investigation into DeSantis migrant flights

SACRAMENTO —  California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta are calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into the transportation of migrants to Sacramento as part of a program overseen by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Thirty-six migrants were sent from Texas to Sacramento in June, a move for which the Republican presidential hopeful has taken credit. While DeSantis has defended the Florida taxpayer-funded flights, saying they are part of a “voluntary relocation” program, he has been accused of using humans as political pawns in a national debate about immigration policy.

Some of the migrants sent to Sacramento denied Desantis’ claims that their trip was willful and told The Times in June that they were falsely promised jobs, shelter and attorneys in exchange for boarding the plane.

In a letter addressed to U.S. Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland on Thursday, the top California Democrats urged federal officials to open criminal and civil investigations into the matter, saying the department has “a unique capability” to oversee the case.

They join Bexar County, Texas, Sheriff Javier Salazar, a Democrat, in doing the same, as his office investigates a similar flight of migrants sent from his state to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.

In another instance, a busload of migrants was sent to Los Angeles last month by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. GOP officials leading the programs say they are sending migrants to blue states with “sanctuary” policies.

“We won’t stand by as people are used for cheap political stunts,” Bonta said Thursday.

Bonta pointed to recent reporting by The Times and other news outlets in his letter to the Department of Justice, saying, as in the Martha’s Vineyard case, migrants may have been “induced by deceptive representations about access to jobs, housing or other services.”

The California Department of Justice is investigating the matter, with Newsom alluding to kidnapping charges against DeSantis.