'It's un-American. It's reckless': White House says Republicans using migrants as 'political pawns'

A new group of migrants, bused in from Texas, arrived in Washington DC on Thursday morning. They were left stranded next to the US Naval Observatory, the home to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Republicans are playing up immigration issues before November midterm elections asFlorida Governor Ron DeSantis took credit Thursday for sending two planeloads of undocumented Venezuelans fromTexasto wealthy Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

This is part of aof a five-month-oldoperation started byTexasRepublican Governor Greg Abbott. The aim was to put pressure Democrats on the immigration issue.

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In response, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Republican governors are using migrants as "political pawns". News agencies reported that around 50 of the migrants, including children, landed Wednesday on the island.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took credit of sending two planeloads of undocumented Venezuelans from Texas to wealthy Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

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On being asked about the decision by the Florida governor to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard, Jean-Pierre said the move was a "premeditated political stunt."

"There's a process in place. We have had a process in place. There's a legal way of doing this and for managing migrants. Republican governors interfering in that process and using migrants as political pawns is shameful, is reckless and just plain wrong," Jean-Pierre said.

According to state data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, Texas has bused more than 7,000 migrants to Washington, DC and New York City since April, spending nearly $13 million on the initiative through August 8.

A local state legislator said Dylan Fernandes, "Immigrants are being dropped off on Martha's Vineyard by chartered flights from Texas. Many don't know where they are. They say they were told they would be given housing and jobs."

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden weighed in and slammed the moves as Republicans "playing politics with human beings."

"What they're doing is simply wrong. It's un-American. It's reckless,"said Biden at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus event Thursday evening.

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