Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) said Thursday on CNN’s “The Lead” that both Govs. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Gregg Abbott (R-TX) were “right-wing nutjob governors.”
Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Governor DeSantis and your governor, Governor Abbott sent these migrants with no heads-up to officials in Martha’s Vineyard, or D.C., no heads-up to those who might provide care for them, provide them with food, health care. We see a lot of kids in these pictures. What’s your response to this? Is this a good way to protest the country’s failing immigration policies?”
Gonzalez said, “Clearly, clearly, tragic and just a manifestation of DeSantis playing Monkey See Monkey Do with our governor. We have a handful of right-wing nutjob governors that have been manifesting themselves in this way and feeding more red meat to their base and alienating the middle of the road, chamber of commerce Republicans.”
He continued, “In Texas, where we already have a massive labor shortage, we’re using tens of millions of dollars – of taxpayer dollars to export people. As in this case, as you mentioned, these are Venezuelans who are broken, who are coming from a communist dictatorship. Much like the Venezuelans and Cubans in Southern Florida, watching this probably in disgust regardless of how they may feel with what party they follow. These people are coming from a communist dictatorship and made it to our country. Normally we take care of these people. We are good Americans that promote democracy around the world. We’re shutting the door on others that are suffering in dictatorships in Venezuela and Cuba when we’re sending this message to the world. It’s shameful.”
Gonzalez added, “This is a new radical right-wing within the Republican Party that is showing this new face to our country and to the world, and it’s really shameful.”
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