On Friday, a federal judge dismissed efforts by illegal aliens to sue Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) over his decision to ship them to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and other liberal destinations.
As reported by the Daily Caller, District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that illegals could not sue Governor DeSantis or the state of Florida, determining that the court lacked jurisdiction with regards to those particular defendants. Judge Burroughs also ruled that the illegals could sue the charter flight company, Vertol Systems, which was contracted by Florida to conduct the flights in September of 2022.
“On the present record, the Court cannot ascertain what actions were undertaken by whom and therefore cannot determine which, if any, of the individual Defendants transacted business or caused injury here, leaving it no choice but to find that, at least on this record, personal jurisdiction has not been established,” Judge Burroughs wrote in her 77-page ruling.
“The Court finds that, for purposes of a motion to dismiss, the allegations that Latinx individuals were (1) specifically targeted, (2) the only ones approached, and (3) the only ones on the Flight…allow for the inference that Vertol and the other Defendants invidiously discriminated against Plaintiffs because of their race,” Burroughs continued. “No reasonable person should have to endure the anxiety that comes with being unwillingly inserted into a divisive national debate.”
The lawsuit had been filed by the far-left group Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, on behalf of the roughly 50 illegals who were transported from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard on DeSantis’ orders. In response to the ruling determining that the charter company could be sued, the group issued a statement declaring that “the favorable ruling is a major victory in the Martha’s Vineyard case, and it sends a crucial message: private companies can — and will — be held accountable for helping rogue state actors violate the rights of vulnerable immigrants through illegal and fraudulent schemes.”
DeSantis’ deputy press secretary, Julia Friedland, celebrated the ruling as a vindication for DeSantis, affirming that “flights were conducted lawfully and authorized by the Florida Legislature.”
“We look forward to Florida’s next illegal immigrant relocation flight, and we are glad to bring national attention to the crisis at the southern border,” she continued.
DeSantis’ decision to send illegals to a heavily Democratic city copied earlier actions by Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas), who sent illegals to cities such as Washington, D.C., New York City, New York, and Chicago, Illinois. These efforts were intended to expose Democratic voters to the very real dangers of the mass migration crisis as a direct result of Joe Biden’s open-borders approach to immigration, and has even led to some prominent Democrats, such as New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D-N.Y.), walking back their support for “sanctuary” cities and states.