The move by Republican governors to send immigrants to various locations throughout the country is drawing some harsh responses.
On Thursday, CNN’s John Berman had filmmaker Ken Burns on to talk about his new documentary about the Holocaust when he noted that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) sent two planes carrying immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard.
“I’m not saying, this is not a one-for-one, this is not a parallel here in any way, but it does address some of the same things that are part of this documentary,” Berman said.
Burns seemed to agree as he said, “It’s the abstraction of human life. It’s basically saying that you can use a human life that is as valuable as yours or mine…and to put it in a position of becoming a political pawn in somebody’s authoritarian game.”
“This is coming straight out of the authoritarian playbook. This is what’s so disturbing about DeSantis is to use human beings, to weaponize human beings for a political purpose,” the documentarian added.
Watch the video below:
CNN's @JohnBerman & filmmaker @KenBurns somehow liken DeSantis offering migrants free flights to Martha's Vineyard to Hitler's Holocaust of Jews pic.twitter.com/1UUmjUXGv1
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 15, 2022
Finally, Burns claimed, “This is not the actions of a person participating in a democratic process in which there’s an exchange of ideas. This is about punishing political enemies, putting on shows… political theater.”
He also suggested it is “ironic” because the migrants who were flown to Martha’s Vineyard were Venezuelan, and DeSantis “should be supporting” them because “they’re trying to flee the corruption of a left-wing government.”
The discussion comes after DeSantis joined in on the decision by the Republican governors of Texas and Arizona to transport immigrants to other parts of the country.
And on Wednesday, he sent two planes carrying migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, which CBS News describes as an “upscale island enclave.”
One of the notable property owners on the island is former President Barack Obama (D), who bought his roughly $12 million estate there in 2019.
DeSantis’ spokeswoman Christina Pushaw tweeted a meme with a picture of Obama’s estate and two men with the Florida governor’s face on one of them.
The caption read, “slaps roof of Obama’s 7 BR / 8.5 BA mansion in Martha’s Vineyard.”
“This bad boy can fit so many illegal immigrants in it,” it added.
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) September 15, 2022
Conservatives cheered the move while some liberals made Nazi comparisons.
In a statement, a DeSantis spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “Yes, Florida can confirm the two planes with illegal immigrants that arrived in Martha’s Vineyard today were part of the state’s relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.”
She added, “States like Massachusetts, New York, and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and support for the Biden Administration’s open border policies.”
