Florida expands governor's power to move migrants

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been granted power to relocate undocumented migrants anywhere in the US under a bill passed by the state legislature.

The measure was approved by both Republican-controlled chambers along party lines and now heads to Mr DeSantis' desk for his signature.

The Florida governor flew migrants from Texas to Massachusetts last year, prompting a lawsuit.

The Republican is a hotly tipped White House contender for 2024.

Also on Friday, Florida lawmakers gave Mr DeSantis effective control of the board that oversees development in and around Disney's state theme parks, raising the stakes in his battle with the entertainment conglomerate, which he has labelled "woke".

The bill authorises the governor to appoint five supervisors to run an oversight board of the area surrounding the Walt Disney World resort. The board has the power to delay or block development plans by Disney, such as to build a new theme park, hotel or road, on the 25,000 acres.

"There's a new sheriff in town," Mr DeSantis said earlier this week as he claimed victory in his spat with the state's biggest private employer.

Last year, Mr DeSantis flew undocumented migrants on two planes from Texas to the elite predominantly liberal enclave of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Democrats and their allies argued the flights were a political stunt that amounted to human-trafficking.

But Republican state legislator John Snyder argued in Thursday's floor debate in Tallahassee on the new Unauthorized Alien Transport Program that it was "humanitarian" to offer a "free, chartered flight" for migrants who wanted to go elsewhere in the US.

Texas and Arizona have also been transporting undocumented migrants by bus to Democratic-run cities such as Chicago and New York, and, Washington DC.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, originally welcomed the migrants, but last July described them as a "real burden" on public services.

Officials in the city have recently bought bus tickets to Canada for migrants.

In fiscal year 2022 the number of undocumented immigrant crossings at the south-west US border topped 2.76 million, breaking the previous annual record by more than one million, according to Customs and Border Protection data.

When Republican-controlled states first began transporting undocumented migrants to Democratic-controlled cities elsewhere in the US, it was dismissed by many as a publicity stunt with little serious impact.

It turns out the programmes have generated a steady stream of national headlines for those spearheading them by causing some very real headaches for mayors in places like Washington DC, and New York City.

Ron DeSantis has tried to get in on the action. His challenge, however, is that the number of undocumented migrants entering his state is relatively low.

According to the New York Times, Mr DeSantis once groused to donors about Texas Governor Greg Abbott's "good political fortune" of being in a border state. He still tried his hand at migrant transportation, but he faced lawsuits over his programme's legality and funding,

This new Florida law is designed to allow him to ramp up the flights and buses no matter where the migrants are located, giving him the ability to tout his hardline bona fides on immigration - in Florida and, perhaps, on the presidential campaign trail - without being overshadowed by his Texas counterpart.