Sen. Josh Hawley “not very sympathetic” to Martha’s Vineyard residents after migrants arrive

Sen. Josh Hawley discusses Gov. Ron Desantis' decision to sent migrants by plane to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Published: Sep. 16, 2022 at 9:14 AM CDT
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Washington. D.C. (KY3) - Wednesday Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent two plane loads of immigrants to the small island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. It’s an affluent area of 15,000 where people like the Obamas and John Kerry have homes. It’s the latest in a series of similar moves by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, who recently bussed thousands of migrants to Washington D-C., New York City, and Chicago.

“Why is it that the poor people in border towns, who are out there working jobs, who are in rural America, who don’t have the wherewithal, their schools are overrun, their towns are overrun, their social services are collapsing but yet the rich people in Martha’s Vineyard don’t want to have to see an illegal immigrant on their way to get their latte in the morning,” said Missouri Senator Josh Hawley. “I’m not very sympathetic.”

Senator Hawley said this is a problem that stems from the Biden Administration’s failure to secure the U.S. border.

“I don’t know how this is any different than what DHS has been doing, which is to release immigrants into the interior of the United States and it has been the small border communities in Texas and Arizona and elsewhere who have to bare all the brunt of having the illegal immigrants,” said Sen. Hawley. “So I don’t know why there should be any raising of eyebrows when some governors say we’re going to send them to places other than our state. I mean, this is all the Biden administration’s policy, which is that they can go anywhere in the interior of the United States if they want. I mean, they’re just free to roam about the country and I’d say this is just a consequence of Joe Biden’s policies.”

Meanwhile, Democrats are calling the move cruel. DeSantis’ opponent in the Florida Governor’s race said in a statement “This is just another political stunt that hurts our state.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted “What Governor Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott are doing isn’t clever, it’s cruel. I’m formally requesting the DOJ begin an immediate investigation into these inhumane efforts to use kids as political pawns.”

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