NBC’s Chuck Todd asserted Thursday that it was “inhumane” to send illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard because, in his view, the location “doesn’t have any infrastructure.”
On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew dozens of migrants from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard, a wealthy island in Massachusetts where former President Barack Obama resides in a $12 million estate. This follows other Republican governors from border states transporting illegal immigrants to blue enclaves since the spring.
Todd was very critical of DeSantis’ decision to send migrants north and called it “a fundraising ploy” on his streaming show “Meet the Press Now.”
“And it’s all due to treating people as political opponents, leaving some migrants who might have been misled to believe they were going elsewhere, as reported by NPR, on a literal island that doesn’t have any infrastructure designed to help them at all,” he claimed.
“In a word, it’s inhumane,” Todd said.
Illegal immigration has been a problem for the United States for decades, but has unfolded into a full-blown crisis during President Biden’s tenure. In fiscal year 2022, migrant encounters at the border have exceeded two million thus far, a record.
Despite the record influx of illegal immigrants, deportations have actually plummeted to around one-fifth of what they were during the Trump administration. In 2019, the government deported 267,257 illegal immigrants, in 2021 only 59,011 were deported.
‘CBS MORNINGS’ ANCHORS FRET OVER FLORIDA MIGRANTS BEING RELOCATED TO MARTHA’S VINEYARD: ‘INHUMANE’
New York City Mayor Eric Adams complained in late July that the city’s healthcare and education systems are being overwhelmed by illegal immigrants that border state governors transported to the state, while Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public emergency and requested help from the National Guard.
DeSantis lambasted lawmakers in sanctuary cities complaining about the influx of migrants Thursday, saying, “The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they go berserk, and they’re so upset that this is happening. And it just shows you that their virtue-signaling is a fraud.”
Liberals who once advocated for sanctuary cities and amnesty are now experiencing the real world consequences of a problem that has plagued border states for decades. Even Martha’s Vineyard’s homeless advocate, Lisa Belcastro, said the illegals transported to Martha’s Vineyard will have to “go somewhere else.”
Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.
