SACRAMENTO, California: Sixteen migrants from Venezuela and Colombia, who had entered the United States through Texas, were transported to California on a chartered plane and left outside a church in Sacramento, according to Governor Gavin Newsom and migrant rights advocates.

The migrants, consisting of young men and women, arrived last week outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento with only a backpack with belongings. Eddie Carmona, campaign director at PICO California, a faith-based community organizing group assisting migrants, explained that they had already been processed by U.S. immigration officials and given court dates for their asylum cases when they were approached by individuals claiming to represent a private contractor outside a migrant center in El Paso, Texas.

These individuals offered assistance in finding jobs and reaching their final destinations. However, Carmona claims the migrants were deceived and unaware of their location upon being dropped off in Sacramento.

Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta met with the migrants in a bid to understand their situation. They discovered that the migrants were transported from Texas to New Mexico, before being flown by private chartered jet to Sacramento. Newsom expressed his commitment to work with the local mayor's office, local partners, and nonprofit organizations to ensure that the migrants are cared for.

Over the past year, Republican governors in Texas and Florida have been transporting migrants to Democratic strongholds without prior notice, aiming to draw attention to what they perceive as the Biden administration's unsuccessful border policies.