There was an article in Politico yesterday explaining how the FAA doesn’t have the authority to shut down the charter flights of illegals DeSantis is sending around the country.
Now why on earth would an article like this even be written? Because Democrats who are outraged by DeSantis sending illegals to Martha’s Vineyard are trying to find ways to stop DeSantis from continuing. Either that or the garbagae media, which is filled with Democrats, are trying to find ways to stop. Probably a bit of both.
Here is Politico explaining why the FAA can’t intervene:
The company that Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis used to send dozens of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard operates charter flights under approvals granted by federal transportation regulators who have almost absolute power to regulate safety in the skies.
But there’s probably little the Federal Aviation Administration can do to stop DeSantis from continuing the flights, people familiar with the agency’s legal authorities say — even though President Joe Biden and other Democrats have condemned the flights as cruel publicity stunts.
The same laws that give the Federal Aviation Administration its vast sway over air safety also restrict its ability to intrude otherwise into the operations of charter companies. And the migrant flights probably don’t violate the FAA’s regulations, former agency officials say, despite accusations that DeSantis and his operatives violated the migrants’ civil rights.
The FAA itself has shown little eagerness to join the fray. When asked to discuss the bounds of the agency’s authority on DeSantis’ gambit, a spokesperson said only: “The FAA’s mission is safety.” The agency’s parent, the Department of Transportation, referred back to the FAA’s statement.
A civil rights law firm filed a federal class-action suit against DeSantis on Tuesday over the two planeloads of migrants, mostly Venezuelans, who landed on Martha’s Vineyard on Sept. 14 after being transported from Texas. Multiple Democratic elected officials have urged the Justice Department to investigate the Florida governor’s actions, while Biden has accused Republicans of “playing politics with human beings, using them as props.”
But the FAA is not best equipped to lead that fight, people knowledgeable about the agency say.
“I don’t see FAA in this at all,” said one former agency official, who spoke on condition of anonymity so that he could speak freely about the agency’s business.
For a charter service to operate, the FAA has to deem its fleet airworthy and the company’s maintenance and operations practices adequately safe. Only then does the agency issue a certificate saying it can carry passengers for hire.
The DOT must separately issue a certificate saying the company has adequate financial backing to serve consumers.
If a charter company flies for hire without either of those approvals, the FAA considers it a “rogue operator” that it “works aggressively to identify and shut down,” according to the agency.
The former FAA official said nothing that’s come to light about the migrant charters indicates that any problems arose related to the “safety of flight” — meaning the ability to ensure that passengers arrive at their destination without their plane crashing.
If the flights are safe then there’s nothing the FAA can do to stop the flights, since the company is already approved to charter for hire.
It would likely be an egregious abuse of their authority to try and do anything about the flights and I’m glad they don’t appear to be considering any action.
The fact that this article was written at all, though, shows just how effective DeSantis was at capturing the country’s attention over Biden’s disaster at the southern border. The Biden administration knows the election is just months away and I’m sure they are freaking out and looking at every avenue they can take to try and shut DeSantis down to keep him from exposing their misdeeds.