DeSantis admin confirms involvement in Sacramento migrant flights

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration on Tuesday confirmed its involvement in migrant relocations by flights to Sacramento and released video that it argued shows they were not "kidnapped" or treated poorly.

The video provided by Florida's Division of Emergency Management shows 2 minutes and 21 seconds of short video clips and photos of migrants signing waivers, dancing to music inside of a bus, and posing for smiling photos on an airplane. KCRA 3 has blurred their faces for their security.

It's unclear when the video clips were recorded, who took them and if it includes videos from one or both recent flights that brought three dozen asylum seekers to Sacramento.

| PREVIOUS COVERAGE | 2nd flight arrives from Texas to Sacramento with 20 migrants on board, California AG's office confirms

In one clip, a migrant records himself in front of a private jet, saying "We made it to California, thank you to God!"

Another clip shows the group inside of a conference room speaking with government agents, being asked in Spanish if they were treated poorly. It's not clear who asked the question. One migrant responds by saying "No, they treated us super well."

More clips show migrants reading through what appears to be waivers in a hotel room. There, a migrant thanks the contractors for the room. "For me, my travels are traumatic," one says on camera. "Thank you for my security."

KCRA 3 has requested a copy of the waiver the migrants were seen signing in the video. Florida officials said they were working on the request as of Tuesday afternoon.

The flights were part of Florida's Voluntary Relocation Program, which DeSantis has touted as his protest to President Joe Biden's immigration policies. Florida officials said the migrants said they wanted to go to California both verbally and in writing.

The Florida agency provided the video a day after California's Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted at Ron DeSantis, "You small, pathetic man. Kidnapping Charges?"

.@RonDeSantis you small, pathetic man.This isn't Martha's Vineyard.Kidnapping charges?Read the following. https://t.co/kvuxe8Fb6F pic.twitter.com/KyE1lJiIYo

California's Attorney General Rob Bonta has said he believed Florida was behind the two flights that took 36 migrants from El Paso, Texas, to Sacramento. Bonta said the state is doing a full investigation to identify what the asylum seekers were told and are analyzing whether the facts support criminal or civil actions against Florida officials or workers at private vendors hired as part of the operation.

| MORE | California AG Rob Bonta: Documents link Florida state, vendor to migrant flight 'scheme' in Sacramento

"Through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to California. A contractor was present and ensured they made it safely to a 3rd-party NGO (non-governmental organization)," said Alecia Collins, a spokesperson with Florida's Division of Emergency Management. "The specific NGO, Catholic Charities, is used and funded by the federal government."

"From left-leaning mayors in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, the relocation of those illegally crossing the United States border is not new. But suddenly, when Florida sends illegal aliens to a sanctuary city, it's false imprisonment and kidnapping," Collins said, providing a set of data with both Republican and Democratic led jurisdictions and the number of migrants transported to other locations. KCRA 3 is in the process of independently verifying the information.

Bonta said Monday migrants in the first flight were dropped off at the front steps of the Sacramento diocese.

Church leaders said the migrants told them they didn't know where they were.

KCRA 3 is unable to independently verify the experience of the migrants because the groups now overseeing their care are not allowing reporters to speak with any of them.

"In order for them to proceed with their individual cases and ensure they are not participants in political theatre we will not be availing any access to our new neighbors in the press," a spokesperson for PICO California said.

(Video below: Faith and community leaders speak out in support of migrants.)

A spokesperson for Newsom, Anthony York, called the release of the video "exploitative propaganda being peddled by a politician who has shown there are no depths he won't sink to in his desperate effort to score a political point."

"Governor Newsom said it best. The Florida governor is small and pathetic, and this video is just another reminder of that," York added.