Texas sheriff opens criminal investigation into DeSantis planes flying to Martha's Vineyard

AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

The Bexar County, Texas (San Antonio) sheriff is playing politics with the two migrant planes sent to Martha’s Vineyard while accusing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of playing politics with illegal migrants. That is the only explanation for Sheriff Javier Salazar, a Democrat, opening a criminal probe into Florida’s Republican governor’s financing of the transportation of 50 illegal migrants to Martha’s Vineyard.

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Sheriff Salazar says the illegal migrants were “lured under false premises” to leave the Migrant Resource Center to fly to Florida before going on to Martha’s Vineyard. He won’t give any concrete proof of his accusations against Governor DeSantis but he said his office is working with lawyers and advocacy groups.

“Here we have 48 people that are already on hard times. They are here legally in our country at that point,” he said. “I believe that they were preyed upon. Somebody came from out of state, preyed upon these people, lured them with promises of a better life, which is absolutely what they were looking for.”

The governor’s office released a statement that said, wait a minute, these migrants were left to fend for themselves and living on the streets. They were abandoned in Bexar County. And, the statement brings up the deaths of 53 illegal migrants in the tractor-trailer found in Bexar County earlier this year.

“Florida gave them an opportunity to seek greener pastures in a sanctuary jurisdiction that offered greater resources for them, as we expected. Unless the MA national guard has abandoned these individuals, they have been provided accommodations, sustenance, clothing and more options to succeed following their unfair enticement into the United States, unlike the 53 immigrants who died in a truck found abandoned in Bexar County this June,” the statement said, referring to the deaths of 53 migrants found in a locked commercial in San Antonio truck earlier this year.

The DeSantis administration said the migrants were informed of their destination and that they were given “multiple” opportunities to decline the trip. Officials said the individuals were offered hotels, meals, showers and haircuts for a couple of days before the trip and that some indeed declined to go.

The administration also said the rumors about the migrants being promised jobs in Martha’s Vineyard were also untrue, and that the individuals were simply presented with information about the benefits and services that are commonly found in sanctuary states.

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Would illegal migrants, who broke U.S. laws to enter this country lie about what they were and were not told when they agreed to fly to Florida and then to Martha’s Vineyard? Why is that an unusual opinion to have? They broke the law as their first action upon entering this country. Why wouldn’t some of them then lie if they thought their pro-bono progressive lawyers and advocacy groups would get them whatever it is they want if they go after Governor DeSantis in lawsuits? Thirty of those who went to Martha’s Vineyard now have lawyers. I don’t think that’s a cynical thought, it’s more a reality-based thought. This is where we are. Sanctuary cities are being held to what they claim to be and they are being exposed for the liberal hypocrites they are.

This is an election year and Republicans are on track to flip the House and a real possibility of flipping the Senate, too. That will shut down Joe Biden’s radically out-of-touch political agenda. We are only 48 days out from the November midterm elections. Many places have already begun early voting. The pressure is on Democrats to do whatever they can to try to stop Republican victories. Perhaps Sheriff Salazar has an eye on the re-election campaigns of Governor DeSantis and also Governor Abbott. I looked to see if I could find anything that indicates that Salazar has endorsed Robert Francis (Beto) O’Rourke for governor but haven’t found anything. I did find that the Bexar County Deputy Sheriff’s Association hosted an event in San Antonio for Governor Abbott and Sheriff Salazar did not attend. Dozens of Texas sheriffs endorsed Abbott at that event.

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Salazar said they have the names of suspects, but he didn’t disclose them. The migrants have said they were promised jobs, housing and food. But Salazar said they were used “for nothing more than political posturing.”

Salazar has a history in law enforcement. Like the other large cities in Texas, San Antonio is Democrat-run and Salazar is a Democrat.

Salazar, a Bexar County native and a Democrat, was sworn into office on January 1, 2017. Before being elected sheriff, he served with the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) for twenty-three years after joining the force at the age of 21.

He first worked as a patrolman, then in Downtown Bike Patrol and the San Antonio Fear Free Environment (SAFFE) unit, a group that focuses on working with communities to solve crimes and problems in their neighborhoods, with the cooperation of residents.

Salazar later served in the Narcotics unit, the Executive Protection Detail and the office of the Chief. In 2012, he served as the Director of Communications for the SAPD, and later he covered the role of Director of the Department’s Integrity Unit.

He was re-elected sheriff on November 3, 2020 and his current term ends on December 31, 2024

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Sheriff Salazar wants the White House to call him and get involved. Yeah, good luck with that. Governor Abbott and other elected officials have been trying to get the attention of the Biden administration for almost two years. That is why they have resorted to migrant buses and planes to sanctuary cities. Salazar calls it photo ops yet it’s working to call attention to the Biden border crisis that the media has been working hard to ignore since Biden created it. The Biden border crisis came to one of the media’s favorite places, Martha’s Vineyard, so now they have to cover the story.

I don’t think Salazar’s 15 minutes of fame here are going to get him the results he wants. We’ll see how far this criminal investigation case goes. He said he is working with the lawyers for the migrants. They are calling for investigations by the U.S. Attorney and the Attorney General of Massachusetts. Like I said, it’s an election year.

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Ed Morrissey 12:40 PM | December 16, 2024
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