In a rare loss in court for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a judge has ruled that a complaint regarding DeSantis\u2019 policy of flying illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities out of state will go to trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper announced his ruling on Jan. 13. DeSantis had petitioned the court to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Democratic state Sen. Jason Pizzo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pizzo, who advanced his complaint as a private citizen, cites DeSantis and two individuals associated with Florida\u2019s Department of Transportation as violating state law when transporting migrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cooper set the trial date for Jan. 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Florida Phoenix reported that Cooper said: \u201cI think we need to just hear out these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Specifically, the lawsuit argues the governor had no constitutional authority to transport illegal migrants by plane from Texas to Martha\u2019s Vineyard, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pizzo\u2019s complaint contends that while the law states that \u201ca governmental entity may not execute, amend, or renew a contract with a common carrier or contracted carrier if the carrier is willfully providing any service in furtherance of transporting a person into the State of Florida knowing that the person is an unauthorized alien,\u201d it also says, \u201cexcept to facilitate the detention, removal, or departure of the person from this state or the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As previously reported by The Epoch Times, DeSantis has pressed the Biden administration to curb the flow of immigrants crossing the southern border in record numbers since 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Biden administration officials declared the border was \u201cnot open\u201d and was \u201csecure,\u201d DeSantis, and governors in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona began moving immigrants to Democratic-controlled cities as part of a \u201crelocation program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In September, DeSantis arranged for approximately 50 Venezuelans, who had recently crossed the U.S. border illegally, to be transported by plane to Martha\u2019s Vineyard Regional High School in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the time, DeSantis\u2019 communications director Taryn Fenske told media outlets that \u201cstates 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 \u2018sanctuary states\u2019 and support for the Biden administration\u2019s open border policies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last September, DeSantis noted how the Florida legislature was behind him in the plan to move illegal aliens to \u201csanctuary cities\u201d out of state. DeSantis said: \u201cThe Legislature gave me $12 million. We\u2019re going to spend every penny of that to make sure that we\u2019re protecting the people of the state of Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In December 2021, DeSantis allocated $8 million in his 2022\u20132023 budget for transporting illegal aliens out of Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n