Ron DeSantis takes on the southern border

Before Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration on Tuesday admitted flying a group of migrants to California, it was touting another one of its border security initiatives: Operation Lone Star. The governor had ordered National Guard members, Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents, state troopers and others to Texas to deal with what he called the “mass migration crisis at the U.S. southern border.”

A news release said in part that “Florida teams made contact with more than 5,800 undocumented migrants and assisted the Texas Department of Public Safety with more than 190 arrests including felony charges for human smuggling, drug paraphernalia, unlawful carrying of weapons, and a suspect with a capital murder warrant. In addition, Florida officials assisted with the apprehension of an MS-13 gang member currently on the U.S. Terror Watch List.”

Short for La Mara Salvatrucha 13, MS-13 – “established in the 1980s on the streets of Los Angeles by Central American refugees” – coincidentally gets a mention in the roughly 2-1/2 minute long video posted on Rumble by the Division of Emergency Management, which coordinates the state’s migrant flights. 

In it, an unnamed man is interviewed in a hotel room, saying he and his fellow travelers’ lives have been “traumatic.” “Mara Salvatrucha, Colombian paramilitaries, cartels. Now it’s OK. Thank you for my security,” he says in English and Spanish. “I am very appreciative of this room, (after) being exposed to paramilitaries and Mara Salvatrucha, to (now) make it to a safe place.”

Updated Wednesday – A Division of Emergency Management spokesperson provided a statement:

As you can see from this video, Florida's voluntary relocation is precisely that - voluntary. Through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to California. A contractor was present and ensured they made it safely to a 3rd-party NGO. The specific NGO, Catholic Charities, is used and funded by the federal government.

From left-leaning mayors in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, the relocation of those illegally crossing the United States border is not new. But suddenly, when Florida sends illegal aliens to a sanctuary city, it's false imprisonment and kidnapping.