ISTANBUL

The Democratic governor of California has slammed his Florida counterpart over transporting two groups of migrants and asylum seekers halfway across the country and “dropping them off” at a church in his state.

California’s Gavin Newsom tweeted on Monday "Ron DeSantis you small, pathetic man," adding, "This isn't Martha's Vineyard. Kidnapping charges?" referring to a similar case last October, in which a DeSantis used Florida state funds to trick and fly 48 migrants from Texas to the northeastern state of Massachusetts.

As migrants remain a potent issue for the Republican Party, including DeSantis – who is seeking the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential race – in recent months a number of GOP governors have sent migrants across state lines into Democratic-run states, possibly violating federal laws in the process.

Shortly before Newsom’s tweet, a spokesperson for California's Attorney General Rob Bonta said a second plane carrying 20 migrants had arrived in Sacramento, California’s capital.

The first plane arrived on Friday, carrying 16 individuals who were then left at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento.

“While we continue to collect evidence, I want to say this very clearly: State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting,” Bonta said on Saturday.

In his Monday tweet, Newsom cited the relevant part of California’s penal code on the offense of kidnapping.