News: DeSantis takes immigration fight to Massachusetts

Thursday, September 15, 2022

DeSantis takes immigration fight to Massachusetts

Sep 15, 2022

FLORIDA MAN DRAWS MASS. CONDEMNATION — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has followed through on his proposal to send undocumented immigrants from Florida to Martha's Vineyard in a rebuke of President Joe Biden's immigration policies that was denounced by Democrats in both states as a political stunt.

Massachusetts is the latest target of Republican governors' ongoing campaign of busing — and now flying — migrants to cities like New York City and Washington, D.C., and Chicago. GBH's Sarah Betancourt reports some migrants sent north by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott are now showing up at Boston-area hospitals seeking medical attention and housing assistance.

DeSantis had talked about busing migrants to Biden's home state of Delaware, in a more direct antagonization of the man he might run against for president in 2024. He secured $12 million from Florida's legislature to carry out his plan.

But he ultimately picked Martha's Vineyard — where Biden's former boss, President Barack Obama, has a mansion — as his first target. It's a curious choice for a few reasons: DeSantis has fundraised in Massachusetts, attending an event on Nantucket last month as he works to build his national profile. And while Abbott has primarily targeted states and cities led by Democrats, DeSantis picked a blue state led by a fellow Republican — though not one aligned with his conservative values.

DeSantis communications director Taryn Fenske confirmed to Florida Playbook author Gary Fineout that the two planes that landed on the island Wednesday "were part of the state's relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations" — though there is some confusion as to where the flights originated from. Fenske said in a statement that states like Massachusetts "will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as 'sanctuary states' and support for the Biden administration's open border policies."

Democrats in Massachusetts roundly condemned DeSantis' move as a "cruel stunt" while local officials scrambled to help the roughly 50 people, including children, who unexpectedly arrived on the island.

"It's pretty disgusting to see that politicians are capitalizing on the difficult circumstances these families are in for a 'gotcha' moment," Julian Cyr, the state senator who represents Martha's Vineyard, told Playbook in one of the tamer statements issued by Democratic pols Wednesday night. He also said it shows a "profound lack of understanding" of the increasingly diverse island "and an assumption about what our communities are like based on some of our more famous summer residents."

Rep. Bill Keating, whose district includes Martha's Vineyard, tweeted that "history does not look kindly on leaders who treat human beings like cargo, loading them up and sending them a thousand miles away without telling them their destination."

GOP Gov. Charlie Baker has yet to comment. But his press secretary, Terry MacCormack, said the Baker administration is in touch with local officials and will continue to support their efforts to provide "short-term shelter services."

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook will not publish Friday, Sept. 16 through Tuesday, Sept. 20. I'll be back in your inbox on Wednesday, Sept. 21. In the meantime, email me at lkashinsky@politico.com.

TODAY — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito attends a LIFT ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. in Worcester.

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YOU'VE GOT MAIL

— SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED: Voters in whiter and more affluent communities embraced mail-in balloting for the state primaries while those in lower-income areas and communities of color tended to turn out in person on primary day, data from the secretary of state's office show.

More than 45 percent of the 1,053,977 ballots cast in Massachusetts' primaries were by mail. But that percentage varied widely between cities and towns.

Acton had the highest percentage of mail-in balloting at 68 percent. Other more affluent towns near the top of the list include Wellesley at 65 percent and Lexington at 59 percent.

Gateway Cities, on the other hand, saw some of the lowest percentages of ballots cast by mail: 35 percent in Everett, 37 percent in New Bedford and 39 percent in Chelsea.

It's a pattern that the secretary of state's office traces back to when early in-person voting began in 2016: people in the suburbs, particularly within Route 128 and on Cape Cod, tend to vote early, while people in cities tend to hit the polls day-of.

Beth Huang, executive director of the Massachusetts Voter Table, offered a few reasons for the disparity: Many voters of color and low-income voters are "skeptical about why it's important to vote" and of mail-in voting itself, she said. The process requires multiple steps — because voters have to apply for their mail ballots instead of being automatically sent them like in some other states — creating a "higher barrier to entry." And whether someone rents or owns a home could also make a difference.

"Places where we know there are so many renters, like in Everett and Chelsea, I would not be surprised if a large number of mail-in ballot applications went to the wrong addresses, which is part of the argument for the application," Huang told Playbook.

Gateway Cities also generally showed lower overall turnout: Springfield's 10 percent was the lowest in the state, while Lowell saw 13 percent turnout and New Bedford had 14 percent. Sturbridge had the highest turnout, 43 percent, while Acton had 30 percent and Lexington saw 29 percent.

Huang and her group are working to close those gaps for the general election, regardless of how people cast their ballots. "We have three good options," she said. "That's really what matters to us."

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

— "In governor's race, Healey holds wide lead over Diehl, poll shows, as voters recoil from Trump-backed candidate," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Eight weeks ahead of the November election, Attorney General Maura Healey holds an imposing lead over Republican Geoff Diehl for Massachusetts' open governor's seat, a new poll found, her margins boosted by support from women and independent voters who say they loathe the GOP candidate's embrace of Donald Trump. Healey leads Diehl 52 percent to 26 percent, according to the Suffolk University/Boston Globe/NBC10 Boston/Telemundo poll of likely midterm voters. Her margin includes a 9-percentage-point advantage among independent voters, though several indicated in interviews that their support is less rooted in Healey's appeal than another factor: They're deeply averse to voting for a Trump-backed candidate such as Diehl, a former state lawmaker from Whitman. … [Gov. Charlie] Baker continues to be wildly popular (76 percent view him favorably), with eight of 10 Democrats giving him good marks. But neither Healey nor Diehl have shown similar across-the-aisle appeal. Roughly 68 percent of Republicans said they have an unfavorable view of Healey, while 45 percent of Democrats said they feel the same about Diehl."

The poll also showed the majority of likely voters, 56 percent, support the constitutional amendment that would impose a 4 percent surtax on annual earnings above $1 million — Question 1 on the November ballot — while 35 percent would vote "no" on it. A plurality, 49 percent, support keeping the new law that will allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses — a "yes" vote on what's now Question 4 on the ballot — while 38 percent would cast a "no" vote to repeal it. More stats from the Globe .

— Related: "Report: Millionaires' tax money could be diverted," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Money from a proposed tax on the state's top earners could be diverted for purposes other than education and transportation, according to a new report, further adding fuel to the fire for critics of the referendum."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— "Baker joins national call to safeguard marriage equality," by Katie Lannan, GBH News: "Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito are among more than 400 Republican, Libertarian and conservative leaders across the country calling on the U.S. Senate to pass a bill officially writing marriage equality into federal law."

— "MBTA board chair asks lawmakers for more funding," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "The chair of the MBTA board, apparently for the first time, on Wednesday asked lawmakers for additional long-term funding to address safety and reliability issues at the transit authority. Betsy Taylor didn't make a formal request and didn't float an actual number, but in an exchange with lawmakers conducting a second MBTA safety oversight hearing she outlined the scope of the looming financial problems and indicated additional long-term funding would be needed."

— "State leaders must act to close education gaps post-pandemic, advocates say," by Christopher Huffaker, Boston Globe: "With new evidence showing the pandemic erased years of academic progress and widened existing achievement gaps, education advocates from across Massachusetts on Wednesday called on the state's political leadership to focus harder on education. It's a crucial moment for public schools, several dozen advocacy organizations said Wednesday: Elections in November will deliver a new roster of state leaders, and the federal government has sent billions to states to help close achievement gaps exacerbated by the pandemic. Yet education has gotten very little attention thus far in state races for governor and other offices, they said."

— "Budget Chief: Tax Relief Expected In 'Proportion Paid In'," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service (paywall): "Massachusetts taxpayers struggling with sky-high inflation should expect to get their chunk of a nearly $3 billion state surplus pot 'in the proportion that they paid in,' a top Baker administration official said Tuesday. However, details about when and how money will flow back to Bay Staters remain unclear one week before the Sept. 20 deadline for Auditor Suzanne Bump to certify the Baker administration's estimate of $2.94 billion in excess tax revenue that must be returned under the 1986 voter-approved law known as Chapter 62F. Addressing municipal officials at a meeting, Administration and Finance Secretary Michael Heffernan did not shed any light Tuesday on whether the relief would take the form of credits, rebates or something else."

State Rep. Mike Connolly wants Massachusetts to pursue something more like California's $9.5 billion tax refund program, designed to help tackle inflation, which gives bigger checks to lower-income earners and caps relief at a certain income level.

"If we could find the consensus and the political will to reimagine how this law is implemented, I think we could get to a place where we could better address the challenges our constituents are facing," Connolly told Playbook. But that's a big if, especially during informal sessions when one lawmaker's objection can derail a bill's progress.

FROM THE HUB

— "Bullying incidents at Boston's Mission Hill K-8 School spur federal lawsuit," by James Vaznis, Boston Globe: "The Boston school system is grappling with a federal lawsuit over its failure to protect students from bullying and retaliation at the now defunct Mission Hill K-8 School, as well as noncompliance with disability and civil rights laws, as the financial and emotional toll from the school crisis continues to grow."

— "Boston City Council tensions remain high over Arroyo committee assignments, " by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "This week's City Council meeting did not end in fisticuffs, but it still came with a moderate side of spice as Council President Ed Flynn called the brouhaha of the last meeting 'unacceptable' and multiple councilors pushed in vain for him to restore Councilor Ricardo Arroyo's leadership positions."

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CAMPAIGN ROUNDUP

— WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Maura Healey and Geoff Diehl are taking their gubernatorial campaigns on the road … outside of Massachusetts. Diehl was spotted at the primary night party of New Hampshire congressional candidate Karoline Leavitt, a former assistant in the Trump White House press office.

Healey went to Washington, D.C., for a Capitol Hill fundraiser last night emceed by Steve Kerrigan and featuring remarks from Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Also there were Sen. Ed Markey, Reps. Seth Moulton, Lori Trahan, Bill Keating, Stephen Lynch and Jake Auchincloss; UMass President Marty Meehan, John Walsh, Ed Cash and Jim Cantwell, per an attendee.

— NEW PAC ALERT: A vascular surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital has launched the Healthcare for Action PAC to help elect Democratic health care professionals to Congress. "Doctors, nurses and other caregivers offer a unique perspective on healthcare in the United States, but also a variety of other issues that they encounter daily in their professional lives, such as women's health, gun violence, education, and the equality gap," Dr. Anahita Dua, who is also an assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, said in a statement. The PAC has already raised $80,000 to help support candidates including Annie Andrews in South Carolina and Kermit Jones in California.

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Reproductive Equity Now is endorsing Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll for lieutenant governor and Andrea Campbell for attorney general. Both Democrats have already been endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts.

— "Campbell says she is 'not opposed to' debating GOP opponent for attorney general," by Gal Tziperman Lotan and Alexi Cohan, GBH News.

DAY IN COURT

— "Ex-town official pleads guilty to Capitol riot charge," by Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press: "A former Massachusetts town official pleaded guilty on Wednesday to joining a mob in storming the U.S. Capitol after she organized a bus trip to Washington, D.C., for fellow members of a right-wing group called 'Super Happy Fun America.' Before her guilty plea, Suzanne Ianni had argued in February that federal authorities had selectively targeted her for prosecution based on her political beliefs. Prosecutors said her political views played no role in charging her with crimes for her conduct at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A judge didn't rule on Ianni's request to dismiss the case before she pleaded guilty."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "Rail unions, carriers reach compromise day of strike deadline," by Eleanor Mueller, Tanya Snyder and Nick Niedzwiadek, POLITICO: "The heads of 13 rail unions and the nation's largest freight rail carriers reached a tentative agreement early Thursday morning, less than 24 hours before workers would have gained the ability to walk off the job. 'Moments ago, following 20 consecutive hours of negotiations at the Department of Labor, rail companies and union negotiators came to a tentative agreement that balances the needs of workers, businesses, and our nation's economy,' a Labor Department spokesperson said in a statement. 'Secretary Walsh and the Biden Administration applaud all parties for reaching this hard-fought, mutually beneficial deal.'"

FROM THE DELEGATION

— "Alaska's new member of Congress, Mary Peltola, is now on the House Natural Resources Committee — thanks to a resignation assist from Lori Trahan," by Nancy Vu, POLITICO: "Following the swearing-in of Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) on Tuesday night, Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) formally submitted her resignation from the Natural Resources Committee, allowing for the new member to serve on the panel."

— "Mass. delegation decries 'unconscionable' theft of SNAP benefits from low-income families and asks for federal help," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "With more than $1 million in Massachusetts SNAP benefits recently stolen, the state's congressional delegation has urged U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack to help officials recoup the losses and strengthen security parameters to insulate low-income households from future theft. More than 2,000 Massachusetts households have been the victims of 'skimming' within just two months this summer, according to a letter sent by the delegation — and helmed by U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, chairman of the House Rules committee — to Vilsack earlier this month."

FROM THE 413

— "Monterey's clerk files a whistleblower lawsuit against the town and its officials, citing a hostile workplace," by Heather Bellow, Berkshire Eagle: "The town clerk claims in a federal whistleblower lawsuit that her civil rights were violated by Monterey officials who created a hostile work environment at Town Hall."

— "Pittsfield used ARPA funds to host social media influencers. City leaders say it's paying off," by Meg Britton-Mehlisch, Berkshire Eagle.

HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH

SPOTTED — Gov. Charlie Baker and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dining at Moo on Beacon Hill on Tuesday night, per a Playbook tipster.

TRANSITIONS — New England Aquarium has added Luz Arregoces as director of community relations.

— Michelle Badger is now vice president of institutional advancement at Massasoit Community College, Amee Synnott is Title IX and compliance officer and Ball Consulting Group alum Alex Villanueva is executive director of communications and marketing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Diane Levin and Anthony Barsamian, co-chair of the Armenian Assembly of America. Happy belated to Victoria Esser of Belle Haven Consulting.

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY — to Segun Idowu, Boston's chief of economic opportunity and inclusion, who celebrates Friday; to Steve Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center; David Wade and JJ Klein, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers former Rep. John Tierney, Daily Hampshire Gazette alum Emily Cutts, Jen Migliore, Kathryn Burton, Corey Lewandowski and Mark Walsh.

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