Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis paid an aviation company $615,000 to transport migrants by plane to Martha's Vineyard

• Two planes with 50 migrants arrived on Martha's Vineyard last week.
• The planes were organized with the help of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who used state funds for the transport.

Florida paid an Oregon-based aviation company $615,000 using state funds to transport migrants on a plane from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, WTSP reported.

State records showed that Florida paid Vertol Systems Company Inc. less than a week before 50 migrants were recently flown to Massachusetts.

The flights were a coordination effort between DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, both of whom are Republicans who have sharply criticized the Biden administration's immigration policy.

The migrants landed on Wednesday with no warning, and Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed responsibility. The move was part of an effort to blame Democratic policies for unauthorized migration at the Southern US border and force so-called sanctuary cities to take responsibility for them.

"I think what we're continuing to do is use every tool at our disposal to insulate the state of Florida from the negative ramifications of [Biden's] reckless border policies. And, yes, that involves helping with transport," DeSantis said during a press conference.

—Aaron Parseghian WTSP (@AaronParseghian) September 16, 2022

DeSantis also said he intends to use "every penny" of the $12 million that Florida budgeted to relocate migrants, CNN reported.

"These are just the beginning efforts," he said. "We've got an infrastructure in place now. There's going to be a lot more that's happening."