Second migrant flight lands in Sacramento, California AG investigates if Florida involved

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (FLV) – California Attorney General Rob Bonta said an investigation is underway after a second flight of 20 migrants touched down in Sacramento Monday night.

Bonta told KCRA3 from what they could tell, the flights were part of “the same official policy of the state of Florida whereby the state of Florida used public tax dollars to fund this program, the so-called voluntary transportation program.”

Florida’s Voice previously reported a first flight of 16 migrants were flown to Sacramento by a private plane with documents that appeared to have been issued by Florida on Friday.

According to AP News, the Colombian and Venezuelan migrants entered the U.S. through Texas and were transported to the Roman Catholic Church diocese’s headquarters in Sacramento on Friday.

“This morning, a second flight of asylum seekers touched down in Sacramento. We’re investigating the circumstances by which they were brought to California. State-sanctioned kidnapping is immoral,” Bonta tweeted at the time.

Following the second flight, Bonta told the KCRA3 that Florida hired a private vendor, Vertol Systems Inc. to “carry out and implement the official program.”

“We are doing a full investigation to identify what was represented to the asylum seekers – what they were told,” Bonta said.

Bonta said many of them didn’t know where they were being taken until they arrived.

Bonta released a statement Saturday and said he met with over a dozen migrants who were brought by private plane, with “no prior arrangement or care in place.” On Monday, Bonta retweeted a story from the SF Chronicle where he called the event a “political stunt” by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“This political stunt by ⁦@GovRonDeSantis⁩ is disgusting and morally bankrupt,” Bonta said.

Bonta said while this is still under investigation, he confirmed the individuals were in possession of “documentation purporting to be from the government of the State of Florida.”

Bonta said they are evaluating potential criminal or civil action against those who transported or arranged for the transport of the “vulnerable immigrants.” 

In May, Florida’s Voice reported the state selected three vendors to help execute the state’s migrant transportation program, which reached national headlines after DeSantis sent about 50 immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted, “@RonDeSantis you small, pathetic man. This isn’t Martha’s Vineyard. Kidnapping charges?”

However, under Florida’s program, migrants would reportedly be voluntarily transported to sanctuary jurisdictions.

The request for proposals said the vendors would be “required to provide ground and air transportation and other related services… to assist in the voluntary relocation of Inspected Unauthorized Aliens that have agreed to be relocated from Florida, or another state, to a location within the United States.”

In February 2023, DeSantis signed a bill to allow $10 million to create the “Unauthorized Alien Transport Program” within the Division of Emergency Management. The program had sat previously under the Department of Transportation, where $1.6 million was reportedly spent to send nearly 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard.

Previously in May of 2023, the Florida legislature approved $12 million to help transport illegal immigrants from the state.

DeSantis said he planned to “spend every penny” of the allotted money to send illegal immigrants to “sanctuary jurisdictions.”

Sanctuary cities are usually those with laws to protect undocumented immigrants from prosecution or deportation, despite federal immigration law. Florida is not a sanctuary state.

“And that way they’re able to go and these sanctuary cities can put their money where their mouth is,” DeSantis explained Friday. “They can provide resources. They can do all of that.”

In September 2022, DeSantis said, “We’re not a sanctuary state. We don’t have benefits or any of that. There are some sanctuary jurisdictions and that would be better. Now what would be best is for Biden to do is damn job and secure the border.”

California has a “sanctuary state” law, set back in 2017, which limited the ability of local law enforcement to notify federal authorities about the release of undocumented immigrants from jail, according to reports. 

Florida’s Voice reached out to the DeSantis administration about the claim and have not received a response.