Ron DeSantis says Gavin Newsom and Biden want 'open borders' as he furiously denies backing immigration amnesty in Congress - and claims his Martha's Vineyard migrant airlift exposed the hypocrisy of 'liberal elites'

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis clashed with California Governor Gavin Newsom on immigration and the border in their debate Thursday night, accusing the Democrat and President Joe Biden of backing 'open borders'.

During the debate, moderated by Fox News host Sean Hannity, Newsom claimed DeSantis while a member of Congress 'supported amnesty' for migrants who entered the country illegally.

'You supported John Boehner's bill...You supported Obama's efforts to advance comprehensive reform,' said Newsom, calling DeSantis 'the last guy you want to talk to on the issue of immigration.'

DeSantis, who was a US House representative from 2013 to 2019 before running for governor, slammed that claim as 'false' and said that he 'killed John Boehner's bill.'

'It is deja vu all over again with that flurry of lies. This is a guy that says the Biden administration is not lying to the public about the border,' said the Republican. 'We know that that's not true. Gavin Newsom is lying to you.' 

Asked about Newsom's remarks, a spokesman for the Democrat pointed DailyMail.com to a Congressional Quarterly article showing that in 2014, DeSantis initially supported the Boehner immigration measure, but later withdrew support and voted 'no'.

The Newsom spokesman also cited DeSantis' 2018 vote in favor of HR 4760, saying it 'would have allowed DACA recipients to apply for a three-year, renewable nonimmigrant legal status.'

That measure, also supported by the majority of Republicans, failed to pass after gaining no votes of support from Democrats. 

At Thursday's debate, Newsom also needled DeSantis over his controversial move last year to fly dozens of migrants from the Texas border to Martha's Vineyard, and a subsequent similar airlift to California. 

'Your immigration policy can best be described as a governor from the state of Florida going into another state, the state of Texas, lying to migrants, promising them jobs and housing, sending them to an island, Martha's Vineyard, and then sending them to a parking lot in Sacramento, California,' said Newsom.

'I met with those migrants that you lied to under false pretense. That kind of gamesmanship, using human beings as pawns, I think, is disqualifying,' the Democrat added.

'He is the last guy who is standing on stage talking about the issue of immigration reform tonight,' Newsom concluded. 

DeSantis fired back: 'Martha's Vineyard said it was a sanctuary jurisdiction.' 

He compared the airlift with an infamous incident in which Newsom attended a birthday celebration at upscale restaurant French Laundry, while imposing strict pandemic restrictions on regular Californians. 

'These liberal elites, they like to impose burdens on you. They don't want to have to face the consequences of their actions,' said DeSantis.

'So, we've got a lot of elites who want open borders, who lecture everybody else about it, then the minute they have to deal with any of the consequences, oh, man, all hell breaks loose and they get upset,' he added.

Debate host Fox News billed the 90-minute affair as 'The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate.' 

It was held in a television studio with no audience in Georgia, a location chosen for its key swing-state implications in national politics. 

And it played out in the heart of presidential primary season with voters in both parties paying closer attention to their 2024 options heading into next fall's general election.

DeSantis, 45, is seeking the GOP nomination for president, but trails far behind frontrunner Donald Trump in the polls, a fact Newsom hammered repeatedly during the debate.

Newsom, California's 56-year-old term-limited governor, has positioned himself to seek the Democratic nomination for presidency someday.

But like the rest of his party's most ambitious leaders, he declined to challenge Biden for the nomination in 2024. 

Instead, he's emerged as a leading defender of Biden and a formal campaign adviser.

He embraced that role Thursday night after DeSantis said he was 'joined at the hip with Biden and (Vice President Kamala) Harris.' 

Later, the Florida governor said that Biden, at 80 years old, is 'in decline' and represents 'a danger to the country.'

'I'm proud of the work Biden and Harris have done,' Newsom said, ticking through unemployment statistics. 'I will take Joe Biden at 100 rather than Ron DeSantis any day of the week at any age.'