Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday was ordered by a judge to release documents related to two migrant flights sent from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, reports Politico.
Florida Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh said DeSantis had 20 days to release the records, which were recently requested under the state's public records law by the Florida Center for Government Accountability.
DeSantis last month sent 48 Venezuelan migrants from San Antonio to Martha's Vineyard in a move that attracted international attention and drew condemnation from Democrats and some legal challenges.
The sheriff of Bexar County, Texas, opened a criminal investigation into the flights a week after they were completed.
Michael Barfield, director of public access for Florida Center for Government Accountability, the group that brought the lawsuit, said DeSantis had "been held accountable to his constitutional duty to provide public access to records. The rule of law has prevailed."
The governor's office pushed back against the lawsuit and said it had been overwhelmed with record requests. His administration also said it would turn over all information no later than Dec. 1.
Andrew King, assistant general counsel for DeSantis, argued that the center was "weaponizing the public records law so they can jump everyone else."
DeSantis in September defended his decision, saying outrage over the flights was misplaced.
"It's really frustrating. Millions of people since [Joe] Biden's been president, illegally coming across the southern border. Did they freak out about that? No," he told Fox News.
"You've had migrants die in the Rio Grande — you had 50 die in Texas in a trailer because they were being neglected. Was there a freakout about that? No, there wasn't."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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