Column: DeSantis’ latest human sacrifice targets California
The headquarters of the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento is on a dingy stretch of road between a gas station and a cemetery about two miles from the Capitol. It’s an office building with a hard-to-find entrance and no church to care for those in need.
About a dozen Latin American asylum seekers were dumped here by the state of Florida on Friday. Days later, 20 more migrants arrived, courtesy of the Sunshine State.
Florida authorities have labeled it a “voluntary resettlement,” suggesting the deportees — powerless and impoverished — were involved in their transcontinental evacuation and brief surrender.
In fact, it’s just the latest human sacrifice on the altar of political ambitions for Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor-seeking White House.
His fragile state legislature, which caters to almost every wish of DeSantis’ commander, has earmarked $24 million to ship migrants — including those outside of Florida — from the southern US border to other mostly Democratic states.
Take that, bright leftists!
Columnists Anita Chabria and Mark Z. Barabak discuss the political ruse and scorpion-in-a-bottle relationship between DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who wishes he could run for President.
Chabria: Looking at those flights, I can’t get over the fact that DeSantis will be in Sacramento later this month to raise a $3,300-a-muffin fundraiser breakfast.
These flights grabbed the headlines — no paid media outlet could match the nationwide attention. My cynical side wonders if this is all just advertising for a presidential candidate. Could it be so simple when it’s hideous?
Barabak: Yes that could be.
Let your weary, your poor, your huddled masses longing to breathe freely serve as a political vanguard team. Guys, get your checkbooks out: Ron DeSantis is coming to town!
His burgeoning bid for the White House didn’t go nearly as well as the hype promised beforehand.
The formal announcement was an embarrassing embarrassment. (That will teach him to outsource tech support to Elon Musk’s version of Twitter, which is about gum and wire presses.)
DeSantis appears to be still working to engage with voters, a crucial part of the presidential bid, and the enthusiasm of Florida’s ambitious first lady can’t help it.
So apparently he’s decided to kick start the old outrage machine, and what better way to upset people than to fuel the well-known immigration issue?
Do you think, Anita, that it was a coincidence that Florida played doorbell digging on the Newsom porch instead of flying its victims to, say, Maryland or Louisiana, which also have Democratic governors?
Chabria: Not me.
The animosity between Newsom and DeSantis never ends. They got angry about hair gel and Disneyland. They have clashed over guns, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and education. Newsom took a family vacation down south and tinkered with Florida’s governor on his neck.
Now DeSantis is getting revenge.
But let’s not pretend our governor wasn’t thrilled to respond to this latest provocation. While it’s true that Newsom’s White House ambitions have been dampened by President Biden’s decision to run again, they remain alive and kicking.
Our geriatric president, who tripped over a sandbag while graduating from the Air Force Academy in Colorado last week, was only the latest reminder of his advanced age and the concern that is a concern in Democratic circles. No doubt Newsom isn’t the only one wondering if there are more sandbags in the 80-year-old Biden’s path.
In the meantime, he can thank DeSantis for turning the national spotlight on something other than California’s homeless crisis for now.
But Newsom aside, immigration is a vital issue that we as a country have failed to address politically, resulting in incalculable human suffering. Even under President Obama, we separated families.
Do you think DeSantis is right in that sense? Can the Democrats really lead the way on this issue?
Barabak: As you note, Obama angered many with his approach to immigration. Critics branded him the “chief deporter” for smuggling millions out of the country during his eight-year tenure.
For his part, Biden has been attacked for being too lax on enforcing borders and too harsh on his government’s treatment of immigrants.
Yes, as you said, our immigration system is a mess and generations of politicians have ignored the problem or, worse, exploited it for their own selfish purposes.
However, I think we can agree that the shameless exploitation of people for political ends – transporting them across the country like cargo and tossing them on the sidewalk like a used candy wrapper – is a very different kind of cruelty and callous irresponsibility .
None of this takes place in a political vacuum. But as we play through the implications for the election, let’s not forget that these are flesh-and-blood people being terribly exploited at what may be the most fearful and vulnerable moment of their lives.
But there is for grace.
Chabria: My father arrived on a boat as a refugee, so I won’t disagree with you.
It is important that our Attorney General Rob Bonta investigates whether the flights were a form of human trafficking – or, as our governor tweeted in a moment of exaggeration, a hijacking. These are people who are obviously being used for electoral purposes and deserve the full protection and respect of our laws.
Of course, Bonta is likely running for governor (he’s hinted, but didn’t announce it) and doesn’t mind the big attention — just further proof that you can’t separate politics from politics, or cameras from campaigns.
Barabak: I’m not a lawyer and I won’t try to play one in the newspaper. But I think the odds of someone going to jail for this stunt are as great as the odds of DeSantis and Newsom competing on a Unity ticket together in 2024.
“Tweeting isn’t politics,” was the explanation when our nervous governor made an empty threat to the Walgreens in the dispute over access to abortion.
It’s also not a prosecutor’s order.
Maybe we need a law requiring a 48-hour wait before Newsom tweets.
Chabria: I want to say this for California: It is critical that leaders confront the bigotry and bias that DeSantis and others are spreading. It reassures those present that their rights will be protected.
Whether Newsom and, to a lesser extent, Bonta have political motives or a sound legal argument, they are vocal in their support of this state’s values.
As a fan of Dark Brandon, Biden’s aviation alter ego, I think there’s something to be said for fighting back.
But these “voluntary resettlements” will continue, right? Because they serve their purpose so well. Here we all talk about it.
Barabak: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there is no organism on earth more sensitive to heat and light than a politician.
As long as candidates like DeSantis believe that performative political acts like migrant dumping have an advantage — heartless as they may be — such tricks will continue.
But let’s not let voters remain undecided.
Unless they convince lawmakers that they need to address the immigration issue in a meaningful way – which means legislation and compromises on all sides – or seriously risk losing their office, they will continue to do nothing.
In the meantime, to quote a wise political observer, Bob Dylan, I feel sorry for the poor immigrant.