Florida AG cautions Justice Department against probing immigrant flights as a ‘political investigation’.

Florida Attorney General Pushes Back Against Investigation into Immigration Flights

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has firmly responded to a request from California leaders for the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the state’s immigration flights. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Moody labeled the request as a “ridiculous political stunt” and defended Florida’s lawful immigration relocation program.

Moody Slams California’s Request

“California’s letter requesting that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate Florida is a ridiculous political stunt. Our voluntary immigration relocation program is lawful, and California’s request fails to identify any violations of federal law. As an Attorney General who leads hundreds of highly-qualified lawyers and has led dozens of legal challenges against this administration, it is jarring that California is not competent enough to articulate even a minimal legal basis for its request,”

Moody further criticized California’s stance, highlighting the irony of the state claiming to support illegal immigrants while opposing the arrival of more immigrants. She stated, “I thought California loved to tout its commitment to illegal immigrants, but now its governor does not want more immigrants in California, claiming that more of them could break his state — how ironic.”

Florida’s Response to the DOJ

In her letter to Garland, Moody emphasized that California officials failed to identify any violations of law and condemned their request as purely political. She also issued a warning, stating that if the DOJ proceeds with an investigation, Florida will not hesitate to question and subpoena Biden Administration officials.

“While I would urge you not to bail out California or engage in another political investigation or litigation, if you make the unconscionable and unfounded determination to do so, Florida stands ready to fight against DOJ’s overreach. Florida has had tremendous success litigating against DOJ under the Biden Administration and I and Florida’s lawyers stand ready to depose, subpoena, and question Biden Administration officials in connection with such a proceeding,”

Moody also criticized the Biden administration’s border policy, claiming that previous legal actions have revealed their facilitation of a surge in illegal entries at the southern border. She argued that further litigation would expose the administration’s failure to address immigration responsibly.

California’s Allegations

California officials requested the DOJ to investigate the transportation of immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, in 2022 and Sacramento, California, earlier this year. They alleged that Florida deceived migrants into traveling to these locations with promises of jobs and shelter.

However, Governor Ron DeSantis’s office has stated that the immigrants provided written or verbal consent before boarding the planes. DeSantis himself has dismissed California’s request as “absurd.”

It is worth noting that other governors, including Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, have also participated in transporting immigrants from southern border towns to major cities like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.

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