Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida used interest that the state had accrued from stimulus money to send Venezuelan migrants by plane to Martha’s Vineyard.
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Migrants who had been flown last month to Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, were taken by bus to the ferry for the mainland.
WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department’s inspector general is investigating whether Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida misused pandemic relief money when he orchestrated the transport of two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants to Martha’s Vineyard last month.
The inquiry came in response to a request from congressional Democrats, who accused Mr. DeSantis, a Republican, of violating federal law by using money the state had been given to combat the impact of the pandemic for what they described as an “inhumane program to relocate newly arrived immigrants out of Florida.” The flights to Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, originated in Texas but were paid for by Florida.
“For the sake of the migrants who were lured onto charter planes under false pretenses, and for the commendable Commonwealth residents who rallied together to offer support, I hope that this investigation sheds light on whether Governor DeSantis misused funds that were intended for Covid relief for Floridians,” said Senator Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, who was among the lawmakers who requested the investigation.
About 50 migrants arrived on Martha’s Vineyard last month on the Florida-funded flights, escalating a tactic in which Republican-led states, including Texas, have shipped busloads of migrants to liberal enclaves such as Washington and New York to protest the rise in illegal immigration under President Biden.
It is not illegal for states to pay for the travel of immigrants who have been released from federal custody. The maneuver by Mr. DeSantis raised questions about the funds that Florida was using, though Treasury guidance suggests the state may be on firm legal footing.
Understand the Migrant Drop-Offs in Martha’s Vineyard
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Where were the migrants from? The 48 migrants who were taken from a shelter in San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard in mid-September are Venezuelans who had crossed the southwest border without authorization and had turned themselves in to border officials; many likely planned to claim asylum. After being taken into custody, they had been released to face future proceedings.
Who flew them to Martha’s Vineyard? Why? The migrants were sent to the island in two planeloads by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a Republican. The move was one in a series of similar drop-offs, often by bus, to Democratic strongholds orchestrated by Republican governors in recent months as a way to provoke public outrage over migrant arrivals at the border.
What happened to the migrants after they arrived on the land? Volunteers and officials in Martha’s Vineyard welcomed the migrants with food and clothing and gave them shelter at a local church. A few days later, the migrants boarded buses for a temporary shelter at Joint Base Cape Cod.
Are the drop-offs legal? Once migrants have been released and served documents to appear in court, they are free to travel within the United States; it is not illegal for a state government to pay for that travel. But on Sept. 20, the migrants taken to Martha’s Vineyard filed a lawsuit against Mr. DeSantis and other state officials, accusing them of engaging in a “fraudulent and discriminatory scheme” by lying about where they were being taken.
Are the claims being investigated? Yes. A county sheriff in Texas has opened a criminal investigation into the drop-offs, saying that it was clear that many of the migrants had been misled and lured away from Texas to score political points. The sheriff, who has been a critic of the Republican handling of illegal immigration, added that his decision to open the investigation was not politically motivated.
Watchdogs across the federal government have been tracking the use of stimulus funds to root out cases of fraud and improper spending. Despite the Biden administration’s efforts to encourage states to use aid money in ways that are in line with its economic agenda, many used the funds to subsidize tax cuts or other projects unrelated to the pandemic.
Inspectors general and other federal investigators have been scrambling to keep track of the $5 trillion in aid that has been deployed to prop up the economy since the pandemic emerged in 2020. Billions of dollars have been stolen or misused, and states and cities have found ways to work around restrictions that were supposed to be embedded in the law.
The Florida legislature this year set aside $12 million for a state program to transport undocumented immigrants to so-called sanctuary destinations. The program was funded with interest generated from the $8.8 billion in aid that the state had been given through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan of 2021.
In a letter to the lawmakers, Richard K. Delmar, the Treasury deputy inspector general, confirmed that his office would look into how the money had been deployed and said he hoped to quickly start work on the matter.
A spokeswoman for Mr. DeSantis said that the state’s Office of Policy and Budget had already been in touch with Treasury’s inspector general to make clear that using interest from the funds to transport illegal immigrants voluntarily to sanctuary jurisdictions was permissible under the Treasury Department’s guidance.
“Reviews by Treasury are typical,” said Taryn Fenske, communications director for Mr. DeSantis.
Despite the inquiry, it appears that Florida’s use of the funds may be allowed under Treasury guidelines.
The Treasury Department created clear rules for how states and cities could use their $350 billion in stimulus funds. However, state and local governments were given broad discretion regarding how the interest generated from that money can be deployed. According to the Treasury Department’s guidance, “recipients can place funds in interest-bearing accounts, do not need to remit interest to Treasury, and are not limited to using that interest for eligible uses” under the pandemic grant program.
When Mr. DeSantis first proposed relocating immigrants last year, his office noted that the guidance gave him the leeway to use interest on the pandemic aid to fund the program.
Following the relocation of the migrants, President Biden accused Mr. DeSantis of using human beings as political props. However, the White House said they did not discuss the matter last week when Mr. Biden visited Florida to assess the damage from Hurricane Ian.
Source: nytimes.com
