As Republican governors begin transporting illegal immigrants into blue states up north, a new survey shows most Americans support the plan and other measures to secure the border.
On Thursday, Rasmussen Reports released a poll showing that 52% of likely voters endorsed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to send busloads of illegal immigrants to New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Chicago. Only 39% disagreed.
Rasmussen's survey also indicated that 62% of likely voters want big city Democrat mayors to demand President Joe Biden and his administration secure the southern border rather than blaming Abbott.
The poll, conducted before Florida sent two planes full of migrants to Martha's Vineyard, was released hours after the White House condemned the relocation actions as dehumanizing to illegal immigrants.
"It's really just disrespectful to humanity ... when you're abandoning families and children in a place where they were told they were going to get housing, in a place where they were told they were going to get jobs," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated.
"There's a legal way of doing this, for managing migrants. Republican governors interfering in that process and using migrants as political pawns is shameful, is reckless, and just plain wrong," she added.
DeSantis took credit for the planes bound for Martha's Vineyard on Thursday, lambasting the sanctuary city policy, where he stressed that "every community in America should be sharing in the burdens" — not just red states.
"We take what's happening at the southern border very seriously, unlike some, and unlike the president of the United States," DeSantis said. "You've had millions and millions of people pouring across illegally, [a] record amount of fentanyl coming into our country."
"If you have folks who are inclined to think Florida is a good place, our message to them is we are not a sanctuary state, it's better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction," he continued. "We will help facilitate that transport for you, so you can go to greener pastures."