Jared Kushner condemns DeSantis’s migrant flights

The Florida governor is seen as a potential challenger to Donald Trump in 2024.

Jared Kushner said he was “very troubled” by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis flying migrants from the US-Mexico border to Martha’s Vineyard.

Mr Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a former White House adviser, appeared on Fox News’ Outnumbered in the aftermath of Mr DeSantis’s actions, which were also compounded by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey sending migrants who crossed the border to cities like Washington DC and New York, Newsweek reported.

“I personally watch what's happening, and it's very hard to see at the southern border, I also—we have to remember that these are human beings, they're people, so seeing them being used as political pawns one way or the other is very troubling to me,” Mr Kushner said.

Mr DeSantis’s administration announced it had sent two planes with migrants from Venezuela last week on the premise they would be given aid and jobs. Mr DeSantis’s administration was reportedly preparing to send another round of migrants to President Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware but the actions appear to be delayed.

Mr DeSantis and Republican governors have defended their actions by saying that border states are overrun by migrants, and they have blamed the Biden administration’s policies. Mr Kushner also faulted the Biden administration in his interview on Fox.

“The policies that President Trump was trying to put forward—on figuring out how to create a secure border, a merit-based immigration system, having rule and law and order—were very important policies that unfortunately, was just totally disregarded and reversed on day one [of the Biden administration],” he said. “And now we're seeing the unfortunate humanitarian catastrophe that comes because of that.”

Mr DeSantis’s growing popularity after keeping his state open during the Covid-19 pandemic and his passage of staunch social conservative legislation have made him a favourite among conservative activists and he is weighing whether to challenge Mr Kushner’s father-in-law in 2024.

On Tuesday, Lawyers for Civil Rights filed a lawsuit against the Florida governor for his flying of nearly 50 migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard.