Rep. Salazar on DeSantis' migrant flights: "Biden admin not doing its job"
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When asked if it was wrong for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to send undocumented migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) deflected at an Axios Latino-Telemundo event Thursday, saying: “We should go to the root of the problem, which is that the Biden administration is not doing its job.”
Driving the news: Earlier this month, DeSantis sent two planes of undocumented migrants to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, as part of an escalation between Republican governors and President Biden over his immigration policies.
- Days later, the nearly 50 migrants filed a class-action lawsuit against DeSantis and Florida officials, alleging they were given misleading information, such as promises of cash assistance, employment services and housing assistance.
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) had previously sent buses of migrants to so-called sanctuary cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.
What they're saying: "It's been highly irresponsible for the last 18 months for the Biden administration — who is the one responsible for the immigration policies in the country — to have allowed the 2.5 million people" into the U.S., Salazar said in a virtual interview.
Ana Navarro-Cárdenas, co-host of "The View," told Axios in a separate interview at the same event that DeSantis' migrant flights were a "stunt."
- “We all know what a political stunt looks like, sounds like and smells like, and this was a political stunt. Frankly, I think he was trying to outdo Gov. Greg Abbott," she said.
Go deeper: What we know about Texas and Florida's transport of migrants
