According to multiple sources, a plane that was involved in flying undocumented migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, was headed to an airport near President Joe Biden’s home on Tuesday.
Information about the plane’s flight plan is available on FlightRadar24 and has led to speculation that it could be carrying migrants, though there is no evidence at this time that migrants will be on board.
The same aircraft flew to Martha’s Vineyard on September 14. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) sent two planes carrying undocumented migrants there in a move that has been strongly criticized by lawmakers including by President Biden.
The White House has been in touch with officials in Delaware amid reports that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may be flying migrants to President Biden’s home state.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the administration is coordinating with state officials and local service providers in Delaware to ensure they are prepared to welcome migrant families upon their arrival.
Jean-Pierre would not say how the White House was alerted to the potential arrival of migrants in Delaware, but that it did not come from DeSantis’s office.
“I can tell you we’ve been closely coordinating with the folks in Delaware, the officials in Delaware,” she said. “I can tell you our heads up did not come from Gov. DeSantis, because his only goal, as he’s made it really clear, is to create chaos and use immigrants fleeing communism as political pawns.”
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) was following the news closely making an announcement of his own on Twitter as developments unfolded, “Rehoboth Beach, Delaware next” Cruz posted.
According to Newsweek, FlightRadar 24 shows the plane, given the designation J328, is set to leave San Antonio, Texas, at 8 a.m. Central time (9 a.m ET) and arrive in Crestview, Florida, at 10:03 a.m. CT (11:03 a.m. ET) for a brief layover, before departing for Delaware Coastal Airport in Sussex County, Delaware, at 10:17 a.m. CT (11:17 a.m. ET).
While there is no indication if and when the plane may have left Texas, Gov. John Carney’s (D) spokesperson Emily David Hershman said Tuesday morning that the governor’s office is aware of the reports and is preparing for the potential arrival.
“Our teams at [Delaware Emergency Management Agency] and [Delaware Department of Health and Social Services] are working with community organizations and other partners to make sure that migrants who arrive here have the support that they need,” Hershman said.
As local officials scrambled to prepare for the incoming immigrants on Tuesday, Biden refused to address questions from reporters who shouted questions about the potential migrant flight after an unrelated White House event.
The airport is about a 40-minute drive from Rehoboth Beach, near where Biden has a vacation home.
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