Why Ron DeSantis’ latest 'political stunt' is a form of 'kidnapping': libertarian

16 September 2022

As governor of Florida, the far-right Ron DeSantis has never been the type of Republican who reaches out to the center or tries to find common ground with Democrats. DeSantis, a highly performative and often combative politician, typically plays to his MAGA base whether he is railing against Dr. Anthony Fauci or trying to punish Disney for the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. And DeSantis, who is running for reelection in the 2022 midterms and has had single-digit leads over Democratic challenger Charlie Crist in recent polls, was, critics say, obviously trying to “own the liberals” when he sent two planes of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in deep blue Massachusetts.

That move that been drawing an angry response from many Democrats, but not everyone who is speaking out against DeSantis’ move is a card-carrying liberal. One of those critics is David J. Bier, who serves as associate director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute — a right-wing libertarian think tank. In a scathing op-ed published by the Daily Beast on September 16, Bier slams DeSantis’ “political stunt” as a form of “kidnapping.”

“The outrage is over the fraud used to trick these vulnerable people into the political stunt,” Bier explains. “A woman presumably hired by the state of Florida reportedly lured the immigrants onto the plane with free food and promises that they would get ‘expedited work papers’ when they arrived. They were also told ample housing and jobs awaited them on the small island. This was a crime perpetrated on some of the most vulnerable people in this country.”

Bier continues, “This isn’t a legal analysis, but kidnapping is really the only word that works to describe it. The state used deception to transport someone to a place they wouldn’t otherwise go for the purpose of harming them and depriving them of the ability to move freely, especially to Florida.”

The Cato Institute member argues that the Venezuelan migrants were “defrauded and victimized.”

“Beyond the deception, the intent to injure the immigrants is further confirmed by the fact that though he apparently tipped off Fox News, Gov. DeSantis intentionally gave the little town no advance notice about the flight,” Bier observes. “Clearly, the plan was to trick the immigrants into leaving their shelter in Texas and strand them on the island homeless, jobless, and starving. Gov. DeSantis might think he's standing up for America's laws, but he's not…. When there's a victim, there's a crime.”

Bier stresses that the U.S. needs orderly enforcement of its immigration laws, not “chaos” — and DeSantis’ “stunt” does nothing to help.

“With all the labor demand,” Bier observes, “Martha’s Vineyard certainly won’t need to support these immigrants for long. They will make their way off the island, and very soon, they will start contributing to this country. They will shake off this attempted sabotage, and most will soon find their way to the American Dream — just like most of the 100 million immigrants who have come to the United States before them. Perhaps DeSantis’ greatest offense would be not appreciating that.”

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