Hillary Clinton agreed with an MSNBC host's assessment Friday that the sending of 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard was "literally human trafficking" and claimed no one wants "open borders."
Joining "Morning Joe," Clinton concurred with host Joe Scarborough's sharply critical remarks about the move by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R., which has set off a media firestorm amid the fierce debate over how the country handles illegal immigration. Scarborough repeatedly called it "human trafficking" by DeSantis and accused him of using innocent people as political pawns.
"I think, Joe, you have laid out the craziness of the time in which we’re living where some politicians would rather not only have an issue but exacerbate it to the extent of literally human trafficking, as you said," she said. "So many other Americans — I happen to believe still the majority of Americans — are good-hearted and generous and when people end up on their doorstep in need, they’re going to respond. They’ll feed them and house them and the kids in the AP Spanish class will be let out of high school so they can go and translate. That’s the kind of American spirit that we try to celebrate at the Clinton Global Initiative."
Clinton added that "nobody wants open borders who has any idea of how government and countries work."
"But nobody wants inhumane terrible treatment of human beings either. What we should have been doing is to come together to reform change and better fund the system by which we deal with these issues. But some people, like [Governor Greg Abbott] of Texas, would rather have an issue than be part of a solution," she said.
Conservatives have shot back that the media and Democratic alarm over the situation shows their hypocrisy in not properly dealing with the constant influx of illegal immigrants at the southern border, which have overwhelmed American towns there. DeSantis said this week the panic shows their "virtue signaling is a fraud."
Martha’s Vineyard was slammed on Twitter for declaring a "humanitarian crisis" over the situation.
DeSantis’ office revealed to Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the governor was responsible for sending two planes of illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard in response to the Biden administration’s failure to secure the southern border.
Massachusetts Democrats, including representatives from Martha’s Vineyard, condemned DeSantis for using illegal immigrants as "political pawns," suggesting the city is struggling to take care of migrants.
Some liberal media figures like Jonathan Chait and CBS "The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert have boasted the situation has shown the benevolence of progressives, however.
"What happens? The doors of the churches fly open. The doors of the community halls fly open, and the people of Martha’s Vineyard are so grateful to be able to lend a helping hand," Scarborough told Clinton, adding he knew she loved the ritzy enclave "very much." Among the island's part-time residents are the Obamas.
CNN reported, shortly before her 2016 presidential election defeat, that Martha's Vineyard residents hoped Hillary Clinton would spend part of her summer vacations there if she won the White House.
President Biden called on Republican governors Thursday to stop sending migrants into Democratic cities and communities, calling such actions "political stunts" and "un-American."
Fox News' Lawrence Richard and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
