Gavin Newsom Threatens DeSantis With Legal Action After Migrant Flight

California Governor Gavin Newsom has warned of potential legal action against his Florida counterpart, Ron DeSantis, for allegedly leaving migrants outside a church in Sacramento, but DeSantis said the migrants wanted to go.

Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday initiated an investigation into a group of migrants that were allegedly flown to Sacramento from Texas. Both claimed to have spoken to several of the migrants, who claimed to have been taken from the Lone Star state to New Mexico, and from there to California. They also appeared to have documents issued by the state of Florida, leading Newsom and Bonta to issue strong warnings against DeSantis and his administration.

"State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting," Bonta said while announcing the possibility of criminal or civil charges against whoever organized the flights. "We are working closely with the Mayor's office, along with local and nonprofit partners to ensure the people who have arrived are treated with respect and dignity, and get to their intended destination as they pursue their immigration cases."

Taking to Twitter on Monday afternoon, Newsom had an even more direct message for DeSantis.

"[Ron DeSantis] you small, pathetic man," the governor tweeted. "This isn't Martha's Vineyard. Kidnapping charges? Read the following."

In response to an inquiry from Newsweek, a DeSantis spokesperson claimed that the migrants sent to California did so voluntarily.

"Florida's voluntary relocation is precisely that - voluntary," the statement read. "Through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to California. A contractor was present and ensured they made it safely to a 3rd-party NGO. The specific NGO, Catholic Charities, is used and funded by the federal government. From left-leaning mayors in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, the relocation of those illegally crossing the United States border is not new. But suddenly, when Florida sends illegal aliens to a sanctuary city, it's false imprisonment and kidnapping."

Newsom's tweet included a link to the portion of California's penal code concerning kidnapping, and a screenshot of the section that could potentially cover those who organized the flights.

"Every person who, being out of this state, abducts or takes by force or fraud any person contrary to the law of the place where that act is committed, and brings, sends, or conveys that person within the limits of this state, and is afterwards found within the limits thereof, is guilty of kidnapping," the code states.

Newsom also referenced a past instance of DeSantis's government transporting migrants north to areas perceived as more liberal. In September, Florida officials flew 50 migrants from San Antonio to Martha's Vineyard, an affluent holiday destination off the coast of Massachusetts. Several of the migrants later claimed that they were induced to agree to the flight on false pretenses.

The process of transporting migrants from southern states to northern areas, particularly cities under Democratic political control, has become an increasingly common tactic among Republican leaders, like Texas Governor Greb Abbott, in the ongoing conflict over border security. The practice has been defended as an attempt to get Democratic leaders to take the issue seriously, while Democrats have in turn condemned it as using human beings for political games.

Updated 06/06/2023, 5:25 p.m. ET: Added statement from DeSantis administration.