{O/C} To a pitched battle in America where Republican governors are scrambling to send migrants to Democratic strongholds.
All this unravelled as Republicans are demeaning the Biden administration for tilting its border policies towards migrants.
{Take SOT}
The affluent Democrat-predominant Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts is inundated with Venezuelan migrants who spent another night in this steepled church in limbo.
This, after Florida's Republican governor arranged two chartered flights from Texas, sending whom he called "illegal immigrants" to "sanctuary" destinations.
It's unclear how they were cajoled into boarding the flights.
Ron DeSantis insists, other states should pitch in and allay the burden.
{Soundbite}
RON DeSANTIS, (R) Florida Governor:
Every community in America should be sharing in the burden and shouldn't all fall on a handful of Red states.
{VO}
But for the record, officials in Martha's Vineyard, where former President Obama has a residence, were caught off guard.
{Soundbite}
ELIZABETH FOLCARELLI, CEO, Martha's Vineyard Community Services:
They thought they were coming from Texas to Boston.
Finding housing for 48 people in a matter of a couple of hours was a huge challenge.
{VO}
That fierce Republican offensive aroused the ire of Democrats.
{Soundbite}
DYLAN FERNANDES, (D) Massachusetts State Representative:
We have the governor of one of the largest states in the country hatching a secretive plot to use humans, to use women, children and families, as a political pawn.
{VO}
The Texas Governor also joined the stinging protest against the Biden administration's pro-migrant policies by bussing 11,000 migrants from Texas to New York.
The hornet's nest has enveloped both sides of the political divide, with California's Democratic governor Gavin Newsom calling for the Department of Justice to investigate any violations of the law.
And he also called the Republicans' disparaging efforts morally deplorable.
While repudiating the Department of Homeland Security's suggestion of bringing the migrants to the border with Canada, the White House denounced the ruthless Republican plot to treat migrants fleeing upheavals as political pawns.
{Soundbite}
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, White House Press Secretary:
Republican governors interfering in that process and using migrants as political pawns is, is shameful, is reckless and just plain wrong.
{VO}
A barrage of immigration issues that's entangled the White House.
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