Another one of Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis’ cruel political stunts just blew up in his face

When Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis was trying to bolster his ultimately futile presidential bid, the Florida governor turned to cruelty.

One of his most Machiavellian acts involved the surprise transportation of migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, using Florida tax dollars. When a group of migrants arrived in San Antonio in 2022, DeSantis sent staffers to the Lone Star State, and instructed them to determine which of the newcomers were potentially trying to settle in Florida. The identified migrants were approached and told they would be settling in cities like New York or Washington D.C., only to land in the Vineyard, a wealthy liberal enclave off the coast of Cape Cod.

A total of 49 individuals wound up making the trip, only to be abandoned upon arrival. But now, some of them are receiving government-issued protection. They’re eligible for “bona fide determinations,” a program meant for migrants to gain so-called U-visas. The documents allow immigrants to apply for work authorization and protect them from deportation, because they’re victims of a possible crime.

“It’s what we have known from day one,” said Rachel Self, a Boston-based attorney who represents some of the migrants. “Anyone who has looked at what happened to these individuals, anyone that has seen the evidence in this case cannot ignore the criminality of the actors.”

Hemanth C. Gundavaram, a director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the Northeastern University School of Law, told the Boston Globe the visas serve as an apology from the U.S. government for failing to protect migrants upon their arrival.

In other words, DeSantis tried to exploit migrants for political gain, only to inadvertently provide them with protections.

For the gay-hating governor, it’s another loss in a long line of them.

Since returning to the Sunshine State, DeSantis has been forced to walk back many of his signature policy wins. Just last week, he curtailed his infamous policy allowing any adult in any school district to challenge books on school library shelves without limitation.

The edict, which was meant to target titles dealing with LGBTQ+ and racial issues, resulted in complete chaos. This school year alone, Florida is responsible for 3,135 of the 4,349 school book bans in the U.S.

DeSantis himself acknowledges the initiative was a failure.

“The idea that someone can use the parents rights and the curriculum transparency to start objecting to every single book to try to make a mockery of this is just wrong,” he said. “That’s performative. That’s political.”

DeSantis’ other most infamous anti-LGBTQ+ policy, “Don’t Say Gay,” has also been weakened. A Florida court found the law, which prohibits the mere discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in all grade levels, was far too broad.

Overall, DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ+ agenda is hitting roadblocks in the Republican-dominated Florida legislature. According to Truthout, 21 of 22 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were effectively eliminated in this year’s legislative session.

But there’s perhaps no greater symbol of DeSantis’ overreach than his ploy to transport migrants across the country without their knowledge. A week after the stunt in San Antonio, the Bexar County sheriff opened a criminal investigation into DeSantis’ actions.

A federal judge in Boston also ruled some of the migrants can proceed with their lawsuit against Florida-based Vertol Systems Co., the company that agreed to fly them for a fee of $600,000.

In the complaint, lawyers identified one of the victims as feeling “helpless, defrauded, and desperate.” They said she “started crying” and felt “anxious and confused.”

Though the unforeseen trip from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard was traumatic, the migrants were showered with support upon their arrival to the island. Community members rallied to provide them with food and shelter, and some of the migrants are still living on the Vineyard today.

Following a string of ineffective policies and embarrassments, it shouldn’t be surprising that DeSantis’ disapproval rating is hitting new highs. A new poll finds he owns the third-highest disapproval rating among governors at 44%, just behind Oregon Democrat Tina Kotak (45%) and Iowa Republican Kim Reynolds (47%).

Despite selling Florida as a right-wing beacon of oppression, residents of all political stripes are facing a myriad of issues, such as skyrocketing rates for home and car insurance. In fact, Floridians pay the most for home insurance in the country.

A recent article from NBC News highlighted the exodus from Florida, with natives and transplants alike fleeing to escape the state’s powder keg of oppressive heat, exploding costs and toxic politics.

DeSantis and his team may have illegally tricked migrants into heading to Massachusetts. But now with some of them gaining ironclad protections, it looks like he did them a favor.

Ironically, it might be DeSantis’ biggest policy achievement this year.