Reuters, MARTHA’S VINEYARD, Mass., Sept. 15 – On Thursday, some migrants who had been flown to the affluent Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard claimed they had been misled about their destination. Democratic leaders demanded an investigation into the Republican governor of Florida’s decision to fly the migrants there from Texas.
The two aircraft, which left from San Antonio, Texas, and paused in Florida on their way to Martha’s Vineyard, were organized by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is running for re-election in November and is viewed as a potential 2024 presidential candidate.
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As DeSantis joins Republican governors from Texas and Arizona in moving migrants north, the White House and residents of the tourist community dubbed it a “political spectacle.” To shift the responsibility for caring for immigrants to Democratic areas, the governors sought to stress the disparities between the two parties’ approaches to immigration policy.
The Democratic-run cities of New York, Chicago, and Washington have received busloads of migrants for months now from Texas and Arizona. Florida has now joined the effort. There is still no explanation for how the flights were planned and paid for, nor is there one for why Florida relocated migrants to Texas. The state of Florida’s legislature has allocated $12 million for the transportation of migrants out of the state.
About 50 migrants, predominantly Venezuelans, were on board the two planes on Wednesday, according to a Martha’s Vineyard Airport representative. Two buses sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican running for re-election, dropped out migrants in a neighborhood in Washington not far from Vice President Kamala Harris’ official residence on Thursday, hours after the planes had landed.
A Venezuelan immigrant named Luis, 27, who came on Martha’s Vineyard, claimed he and nine families were promised a flight to Massachusetts, housing, support for 90 days, assistance with job permits, and English classes. He claimed that they were taken aback when their plane touched down on an island.
After his family crossed the border from Mexico and U.S. border officials released them with an immigration court date, he claimed the promises came from a lady who identified herself only as “Perla” and approached them on the street outside a shelter in San Antonio. He claimed the woman, who also provided them with hotel accommodations, did not give them the last name or reveal her affiliation but required them to sign a liability release.
He added that he and others believed they had been misled and added, “We are afraid. “I hope they assist us.” The Martha’s Vineyard community came together to help the lost migrants and provided St. Andrews Episcopal Church with a place to stay. The most well-known aspect of Martha’s Vineyard is that it serves as a summer getaway for wealthy liberal Americans, many of whom own vacation homes there, including former President Barack Obama, a Democrat.
Locals came by to donate cash and children’s presents, and lawyers gathered to provide free legal assistance. Mike Savoy, 58, a nurse at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, said: “It’s a stunt to make political points and not caring about who gets wounded.” DeSantis defended the flights at a press conference by claiming that Democratic U.S.
President Joe Biden “has refused to raise a finger” to bolster border security. DeSantis stated, “We have worked on creative ways to shield the state of Florida from the effects of Biden’s border policy. Republican governors, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, are using immigrants as “political pawns.”
Legal inquiries
DeSantis’ rival in Florida, Charlie Crist, and California Governor Gavin Newsom requested an investigation from the federal government. At a press conference, Massachusetts’ U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins stated that the Justice Department and her office will speak about “looking into that case.”
According to a Biden administration official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity so that they could discuss internal planning, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security developed a plan last year to fly migrants to interior cities in coordination with aid organizations to relieve pressure on border regions. According to a second American official acquainted with the situation, the White House never adopted the concept.
According to immigration law expert Pratheepan Gulasekaram of Santa Clara University School of Law, using resources from Florida to transport migrants from Texas to Massachusetts raises legal issues, such as what information was relayed to the migrants before they boarded and whether they were subject to coercion.
Since last October, 1.8 million migrants have been detained by American border authorities along the border with Mexico. A public health regulation in 2020 to stop the spread of COVID-19 soon expels many to Mexico or other nations.
But since Mexico won’t take them in or because they can apply for asylum, hundreds of thousands of people from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and other countries cannot be deported. When migrants are released from U.S. custody in border states, many look to leave the country to be with family or work. To achieve legal status, they frequently need to check in with U.S. immigration authorities or appear in court.
