Group sues Florida officials over immigration transfer program

MIAMI — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other officials are being sued in federal court by immigrant rights groups challenging the constitutionality of the state’s immigration migration program.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday against DeSantis and state transportation secretary Jared Perdue by three groups: the Florida Immigration Coalition, Americans for Immigration Justice, and the Hope Community Center. It was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Earlier this year, the Florida legislature approved a $12 million budget item to illegally move people from Florida to another location in the United States. This money was derived from interest earned on federal funds given to Florida under the American Relief Plan.

The lawsuit alleges that this expropriation creates an inconsistent definition of “unauthorized alien” that conflicts with federal immigration law. and are permitted to exist in Florida, but may include people who are at risk of being harassed simply because they want to enter or stay in Florida.

In September, Florida officials arranged a flight from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, to bring 49 mostly Venezuelan immigrants to the island home of former President Barack Obama. Local authorities were not informed in advance of the immigrants’ arrival.

DeSantis, a Republican, claimed responsibility for the flight as part of a campaign to draw attention to what he called the Biden administration’s failed border policies. tactic of sending immigrants to Democratic strongholds without warning.

The Martha’s Vineyard flight also sparked a lawsuit accusing the state of Florida of lying to San Antonio immigrants into agreeing to the flight.