Menendez Statement on Desantis Sending Migrants to Martha's Vineyard

Press Release

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) issued the following statement in response to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently sending vulnerable migrants to Martha's Vineyard, misleading and lying to them as human traffickers would all to score cheap political points with Trump's MAGA base:

"Using migrants at the very moment they are most desperate, most vulnerable, with the sole purpose of stoking the flames of xenophobia and white nationalism to score political points, reflects a callousness and cruelty matched only during the darkest times in our history. These are people -- human beings yearning to breathe free -- fleeing repression and hopelessness. But instead of welcoming these refugees and providing even the most basic care, Governor DeSantis decided to spend millions of taxpayer dollars in transportation costs, just to rile up his right-wing supporters and get more hits on Fox News. Why? Because the brand of "cruelty' is the #1 seller in today's GOP.

"President Biden should seize this moment to remind the country of what American democracy stands for. He should welcome these refugees and those from Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba that have been bussed to other states, and allow them to seek temporary protections in the United States. This was the right thing to do for Ukrainians who could not return home, and it is the right thing to do now.

"Leviticus 19:33 tells us: "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.' History will judge the demagogues of our time, as well as our inaction in this moment."

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