Voter Confronts DeSantis for Sending Migrants to Martha’s Vineyard: ‘Wasn’t That Little More Than a Cheap Stunt?’
A voter at a CNN town hall in New Hampshire questioned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for sending two planes carrying migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. DeSantis used taxpayer funds to bring about 50 migrants from Texas to the Massachusetts island in 2022.
The governor appeared at the town hall a day after finishing a distant second to former President Donald Trump in the Iowa Republican caucuses. During a segment on immigration, moderator Wolf Blitzer called on a man named Geoff Woollacott.
“He’s a business consultant to technology companies from Ringe, New Hampshire who briefly ran for the U.S. Senate as an independent back in 2022,” Blitzer said. “He’s an undeclared voter who says he’s leaning towards supporting Nikki Haley. Geoff, go ahead.”
“Hi, the nation has serious long-term issues to address that would require bipartisan cooperation,” Woollacott began. “How do tactics such as rounding up illegal immigrants and shipping them to Martha’s Vineyard bring the nation together to discuss comprehensive immigration reform? Wasn’t that little more than a cheap stunt pandering to one side?”
Not surprisingly, DeSantis did not see it that way.
“Well, thanks for that, Geoff,” the governor began. “You go back to September of 2022, how was the border being treated? It was not a front-burner issue. The problems were real, but it wasn’t getting the type of scrutiny that it needed. Doing the Martha’s Vineyard– by the way, they said they were sanctuary jurisdictions. They said all people were welcome whether they’re legal or not, the border towns in Texas are getting thousands and thousands, Martha’s Vineyard couldn’t even handle 50. So I think that was an example of them wanting to impose a certain worldview of open borders on the rest of the country.”
DeSantis went on to conclude, “We can’t have sanctuary jurisdictions. I think this issue is now a front-burner issue and I think what we did there was part of it. I think what Texas has done with Manhattan as well. But we’ve gotta solve this and I’m willing to work with anyone who’s willing to solve the problem.”
Watch above via CNN.
