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In recent months, Republican governors in Texas, Arizona and Florida have been transporting immigrants northward to cities such as New York, Washington and Chicago. This included bussing about a hundred people to the vice-president’s residence and dumping them on the street.
The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, took this despicable practice of using vulnerable men, women and children as political props to a new low this week when he paid for two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants to be sent to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. As has been reported, the Venezuelans that DeSantis paid to transport were actually recruited by a co-conspirator in San Antonio, Texas, not in Florida. As reported, this co-conspirator, “Perla”, promised the migrants transportation to Boston and expedited work permits. All of it was a lie.
Various news entities have described DeSantis as engaging in a “stunt”. That characterization is a troubling understatement of the gravity of DeSantis’s conduct.
The truth is that DeSantis – apparently unconcerned about the immorality of his actions – and those conspiring with him appear to have acted criminally under Texas law. Title 5, section 20 of the Texas penal code defines the crime of unlawful restraint. Under the statute, a person is restrained if their movement is restricted without their consent by, among other means, moving the person from one place to another.
