Florida-14 U.S. House “Republican” candidate Mike Beltran has a long history of siding with Joe Biden and Florida Democrat Party Chair Nikki Fried on open borders policy.
In 2023, as a Florida state legislator, Beltran refused to support Governor Ron DeSantis’s program to relocate illegal immigrants from Florida to sanctuary blue states/districts such as California, Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts. Beltran was the only GOP state representative in the Florida Legislature to vote against SB 6-B, which authorized funds to continue the program that shipped illegal immigrants out of Florida. SB 6-B’s stated objective is:
“Transportation of Inspected Unauthorized Aliens; Creating the Unauthorized Alien Transport Program within the Division of Emergency Management to facilitate the transport of inspected unauthorized aliens within the United States; authorizing the division to contract for services to implement the program; authorizing the division to adopt rules to implement the program; providing for future expiration, etc. APPROPRIATION: $10,000,000.”
SB 6-B passed the House on February 10, 2023 by a vote of 77 yeas to 34 nays. Beltran is listed as a “Nay” vote. While Florida Republicans were fighting to keep Florida from being used as a dumping ground for Joe Biden’s border crisis, Beltran voted “No”.
Several months before the vote to fund Governor DeSantis’s immigration relocation program, President Joe Biden attacked the policy, stating:
“What they’re doing (Ron DeSantis) is simply wrong. It’s un-American, it’s reckless. And we have a process in place to manage migrants at the border. We’re working to make sure it’s safe and orderly and humane. Republican officials should not interfere with that process by waging these political stunts.”
On June 6, 2023, Florida Democrat Party Chair Nikki Fried posted on X:
“Notice @RonDeSantis is too scared to respond to @GavinNewsom about anti-immigration flights.”
That same day, the official Florida Democrat Party X account attacked the illegal immigrant flights, writing:
“Floridians are footing the bill for DeSantis’ political stunt.”
Gavin Newsom went even further by threatening Gov. DeSantis with potential kidnapping charges.
Newsom posted on X:
“.@RonDeSantis you small, pathetic man. This isn’t Martha’s Vineyard. Kidnapping charges?”
Then Newsom, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Biden DOJ to open federal criminal and civil investigations related to Florida-funded migrant transport. Part of the letter reads:
“Dear Attorney General Garland, Over the last nine months, individuals seeking asylum in the United States were transported from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and to Sacramento, California, under a program funded by the State of Florida.”
The letter continued:
“Accordingly, we urge the USDOJ to open federal criminal and civil investigations into these incidents. Indeed, as noted in prior correspondence from Governor Newsom to USDOJ related to the Martha’s Vineyard flight, given the multijurisdictional, interstate nature of this ongoing scheme, the federal government’s involvement seems especially appropriate.”
Florida-14 voters deserve to know why a Republican candidate for Congress voted against funding a program that put pressure on sanctuary states and exposed the hypocrisy of Democrat-run jurisdictions that support open-border policies until illegal aliens arrive in their own communities.
Mike Beltran’s record on SB 6-B raises a simple question for Florida conservatives:
When the Biden administration, Nikki Fried, Gavin Newsom, and Florida Democrats were attacking DeSantis’ illegal alien relocation program, why did Mike Beltran vote with them?
Florida voters deserve answers.
