White House Secretary Compare Texas Governor Abbott and Florida Governor DeSantis as Human Smugglers

Governor DeSantis and Governor AbbottScreenshot from Twitter

On Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre accused two Republican Governors of being human smugglers. Jean-Pierre said Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of crimes comparable to human smugglers as they stretch the truth to asylum seekers. She accused the governors of false promises to provide the children, families, and people with shelter and food as they got on the bus to new destinations including Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Martha’s Vineyard.

Washington, D.C., Chicago, and New York City have struggled to provide shelter to the migrants that overwhelmed their internal services.

Jean-Pierre said:

“These were children, they were moms, they were fleeing communism. And what did Gov. DeSantis and Gov. Abbott do to them? They used them as political pawns, treated them like cattle in a cruel, premeditated political stunt.”

She added that for DeSantis it was a political stunt since his state does not border Mexico as he flew migrants from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard.

She stated:

“These vulnerable migrants were reportedly misled about where they were headed … misled about what they would be provided when they arrived, promised shelter, refuge, benefits and more. These are the kinds of tactics we see from smugglers in places like Mexico and Guatemala. And for what? A photo op. Because these governors care more about creating political theater than creating actual solutions to help folks who are fleeing communism.”

Republicans have argued that the Biden administration has mismanaged the border crisis as millions of migrants have crossed into the United States from Mexico. Arizona’s Doug Ducey has also bussed migrants out of his state to sanctuary cities.

Vice President Harris shares her thoughts on Abbott

Last week, Governor Abbott bussed migrants to Washington D.C. and left them near Vice President Kamala Harris’ home near the U.S. Naval Observatory.

She compared the actions of Governor Abbott and DeSantis to a dereliction of duty:

“I think it is the height of irresponsibility … frankly, a dereliction of duty, when you are an elected leader, to play those kinds of games with human life and human beings. If you think there is a problem, be part of the solution.”

The comments are very similar to Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom who accused the governors of kidnapping or a federal crime that you can read here.

Do you think the Washington officials are right in their remarks?