DeSantis' Martha's Vineyard Move Makes Him the Target of Investigations

The lawsuit: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent around 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. It resulted in a panic that activated 125 national guard members to deport the migrants to a nearby military base. Three migrants filed a class action lawsuit against the DeSantis administration for “executed a premeditated, fraudulent, and illegal scheme … for the sole purpose of advancing their … political interests.”

The legal ground: Gov. DeSantis repeatedly claimed that all transported migrants from Florida signed consent forms. Some of those suing claim that they could not understand the documents and that the brochure given to the migrants was misleading. Essentially, they claim that they were tricked into flying to Martha’s Vineyard.

Where will this go? The lawyers for the migrants are lobbying the Massachusetts attorney general and the federal government to open criminal investigations into the Florida governor. The Biden administration is currently considering litigation.

Big picture: DeSantis’ critics and admirers view him as a more competent version of Donald Trump. His commitment to conservatism and his transformation of swing-state Florida into a conservative bastion of freedom when most states caved to the pandemic lockdown rules may soon land him in a position similar to the former president—swamped by political investigation.