>>Welcome to "Facing South Florida."
I'm Jim DeFede.
And we begin with two stories that I believe are related.
The move by Governor DeSantis to fly 50 Venezuelans
to Martha's Vineyard, and a report
by the Anti-Defamation League
chronicling the disturbing rise
of white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups in Florida.
So let's start with the decision by DeSantis
to spend Florida taxpayers' money
to send a chartered plane to Texas
to pick up a group of Venezuela asylum seekers
and fly them to the tiny island of Martha's Vineyard,
and leave them at the airport
without notifying anyone they were coming.
They had reportedly been tricked to get onto the planes
by telling them they were going to Boston,
and promising them work visas when they arrived.
Maria Corina Vegas is a Venezuelan American,
and the deputy state director
for the American Business Immigration Coalition Action,
a nonpartisan group working on immigration reform.
I asked for her reaction to what DeSantis did this week.
>>It breaks my heart.
It makes me indignant.
I mean, this is frankly un-American.
I mean, immigrants in this country and in Florida,
you know, especially Venezuelans
have made immense contributions
and continue to make immense contributions.
And I think that at a time where we are facing
an inflation caused by major labor shortages, you know,
the governor is choosing to put politics over the economy,
and it's just shameful.
>>The governor would argue that what he's doing
by doing this is putting a spotlight
on President Biden's what he considers
failed immigration policies.
And certainly we've seen problems at the border
in terms of an increase in the flow of folks
coming across the border asking for and seeking asylum.
Is this the way to try to draw attention to that issue?
Is he right?
>>I don't think this is the way
to draw attention to the issue.
This is just a political stunt.
I mean, and clearly he's been successful,
but that's what it is.
It's a stunt and it's really, you know,
I guess beneath human dignity, in my point of view,
that he's choosing to use Venezuelans in particular
to make this point.
>>It seems to me that politicians,
especially as of in recent years, Republican politicians,
have often stood in Doral, stood in Weston,
and talked about their support for the Venezuelan community,
have denounced Maduro.
And there are a lot of Venezuelans
who support Governor DeSantis.
You and I have spoken about that.
>>Yes, and Republicans as well because they have, you know,
as well as Democrats who have, you know,
really stand up and defended Venezuelans
who are fleeing an authoritarian dictatorship.
So to us, this trauma is very real,
and we, you know, we expect our leaders
and our elected officials to not, you know,
use it in this way.
>>You think he's exploiting the pain and suffering
of the Venezuelan people? >>The pain, and suffering,
and the trauma of the Venezuelan people
for his own political gain.
You know, these are children, these are families.
He's effectively, you know,
almost like cattle trafficking them
from one state to another.
Where does he get the right to do this?
I mean, just asking, like why?
Why does he think he is entitled to insert himself?
I mean, I agree with you.
Federal immigration policies and the system,
you know, needs to be addressed ideally in a bipartisan way.
And there are many things that could be done
to facilitate, you know, the processing of asylum seekers
and to make, and to get them to the places
where they will be most welcome,
and where there are systems in place that will receive them
and help them integrate into the community.
One of such places has been Florida,
but what does the governor choose to do from the beginning
and since over the course of the last year,
he's adopted anti-immigrant policies
from withdrawing the licenses,
or, you know, refusing to renew their licenses to shelters
that shelter unaccompanied minors.
You know, this puts minors
in an even more precarious situation
if they're not unable to be cared for by Catholic charities
or the other faith based organizations.
I don't understand honestly, you know,
why he has been doubled down.
I mean, I can understand it
from the point of view of his national ambitions.
And I perhaps would not be surprised
that he's, you know, seeing 2024
as this is something that will help him
raise funds for that purpose.
But when it comes to the Venezuelan community
and the Venezuelan community in Miami and in Florida,
this is not going unnoticed.
Absolutely not.
>>Is there a political price that the governor
could pay for this in Florida?
Or do you think he believes he's just so far ahead
that it doesn't matter if he loses
some support in the Venezuelan community?
>>I don't have a crystal ball.
I really don't, but what I do know is that this was cruel,
this is unacceptable, this is morally repulsive,
and I hope our future leaders, you know,
treat all immigrants better.