Ron DeSantis makes surprise visit to US-Mexico border after sending migrants to California

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis made an unannounced trip to the US-Mexico border Wednesday, as the Florida governor finds himself once again at the center of controversy for sending migrants to California.

DeSantis, 44, met with Cochise County, Ariz. Sheriff Mark Dannels in the border city of Sierra Vista. Like the governor, Dannels has repeatedly slammed President Biden’s handling of the nation’s border crisis.

DeSantis has tangled with California Gov. Gavin Newsom for flying two planeloads of migrants out from the border region to Sacramento, claiming through a spokesperson that they gave “verbal and written consent” and “wanted to go” to the Golden State.

The Venezuelan and Colombian migrants were initially driven to New Mexico, then placed on private planes to the California capital — with the first flight leaving June 2 and a second arriving Monday.

Newsom suggested that the Florida governor had committed a crime and said state officials would investigate the trips.

“They’re human beings used as pawns for a guy’s political advancement,” the Democrat told NBC News Tuesday of the migrants.

“That’s pretty sad and pathetic.”

DeSantis fired back Wednesday, telling the same outlet: “The sanctuary jurisdictions [like California] are part of the reason we have this problem, because they have endorsed and agitated for these types of open border policies.”

“They have bragged that they are sanctuary jurisdictions,” the governor added.

“… Well, what are these people having to deal with here? I don’t see the sympathy for them.”

DeSantis also arranged a flight in September 2022 that took 50 primarily Venezuelan migrants from Texas to the wealthy vacation enclave of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Last month, the governor mobilized more than 1,100 Florida National Guard members to the Texas-Mexico border to help deal with a surge of crossings.

DeSantis has also escalated his fights with former President Donald Trump, 76, over immigration policy in recent weeks, arguing that he has proven his conservative bona fides on the issue for opposing a plan that would have granted amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants.

“I oppose amnesty,” the governor said after launching his campaign last month.

“That was supposed to be America First, policies that oppose amnesty. And yet he endorsed and tried to ram through an amnesty. And so these are contrasts that I’m happy to discuss.”

DeSantis supported previous moves by the Trump administration to crack down on drug trafficking and human smuggling, as well as the Remain in Mexico and Title 42 policies that drastically reduced migrant crossings.

Trump-backing super PAC MAGA Inc. drew attention to the shift in a Wednesday statement, saying: “President Donald Trump’s immigration policies kept Americans safe, just ask Ron DeSantis.”

The Biden administration ended Title 42 expulsions in May following the expiration of emergency declarations prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.