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CNN Segment Goes Off The Rails As Anchor, Texas Republican Debate Martha’s Vineyard Flight

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Nicole Silverio Media Reporter
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CNN anchor Victor Blackwell sparred with Republican Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne on Monday over the relocation of migrants to liberal cities.

Blackwell asked the Republican congresswoman on the reason states such as Texas and Florida are not coordinating with liberal lawmakers and cities about the relocation of migrants. Van Dyune said border states, including in her own state of Texas, are overwhelmed with the thousands of migrants pouring into their communities on a daily basis and that the transportation of migrants has led Democratic lawmakers to admit there is a crisis.

Blackwell repeated his question, to which Van Duyne said notifying the mayors will be ineffective. She instead called on enforcing  Trump-era policies including Title 42 and Remain in Mexico to keep immigration under control.

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Blackwell then read legislation that she co-sponsored, titled the “Immigration Transparency and Transit Notification Act,” that would require the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Health and Human Services to give a jurisdiction at least seven days notice before transporting an illegal immigrant to their community.

“If you think it should be law, the federal government notifies the states, why shouldn’t the states be required to notify cities that they’re sending migrants?” Blackwell asked. “Is it politically convenient to be against the Democratic administration and not require that of Republican governors?” (RELATED: Turley: If The Martha’s Vineyard Flight Was ‘Human Trafficking,’ Joe Biden ‘Would Be The Biggest Coyote Ever’) 

“I am for secure borders,” Deyne replied. “I am for orderly immigration. I think what you’re seeing in the state of Texas, again, is  millions of people having crossed our border. We haven’t gotten any notification, we didn’t get a phone call when we say it’s a problem. The borders are open, you know, we have ‘no, the borders aren’t open. No, we have systematic immigration.’ Well, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t complain that you got people coming in and not being notified, at the same time arguing that your borders are closed. They’re not! We do have open borders and every city is now seeing those results.”

Blackwell then argued the representative is trying “to have it both ways” by arguing Democratic administrations, in this case President Joe Biden’s administration, have to notify the state about the transfer of migrants, but the Republicans state and local governments should not.

“I’m saying immigration is a federal issue, I’m saying the federal government needs to do that,” she said. “It absolutely does. There’s a lot we can do.”

Massachusetts lawmakers were outraged by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis relocating 50 migrants from his state to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts late Thursday. Buses immediately transported the migrants from Martha’s Vineyard to Joint Base Cape Cod. Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said locals provided temporary shelter for the migrants but could not hand them long term assistance.

Authorities in Massachusetts have requested that the Department of Justice open a federal human trafficking probe to “hold DeSantis and others accountable” for what they called “inhuman acts,” USA Today reported.

DeSantis, however, confirmed at a Friday news conference that the migrants voluntarily boarded the planes en route to Massachusetts. The transport is part of a $12 million Florida program to relocate illegal immigrants to Democratic-led and so-called sanctuary cities.