Martha's Vineyard migrants

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who took credit for the flights, has denied that the migrants were misled.

[program](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/23/desantis-florida-immigration-biden-00053322) to bus undocumented immigrants out of Florida to Democratic-run states. [Greg Abbott](https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/12/greg-abbott-eric-adams-migrants-bus/), sent thousands of migrants on buses to Chicago, New York City and Washington D.C., fueling a national debate over human rights and immigration. [Orlando Sentinel](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/2022-election/os-ne-politics-2022-election-election-hispanic-voters-florida-20220917-5mluphy5zzdu7moej2sz7hhazu-story.html) reported. [Lawyers for Civil Rights](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/09/16/metro/immigration-lawyers-advocates-explore-possible-criminal-violations/), as well as state officials from Florida and Massachusetts and California Gov. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) filed a [bill](https://www.ack.net/stories/cruz-bill-would-make-nantucket-vineyard-ports-of-entry-for-undocumented-immigrants,26421) that would establish ports of entry on Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, North Hero, Vermont—where Sen. “in violation of law,” however some [legal experts](https://twitter.com/ReichlinMelnick/status/1570401048241803264) believe the statute does not apply because the migrants had been released by the Department of Homeland Security while their immigration cases play out. [DeSantis Claims Credit As Dozens Of Venezuelan Migrants Arrive On Martha’s Vineyard](https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/09/15/desantis-claims-credit-as-dozens-of-venezuelan-migrants-arrive-in-marthas-vineyard/?sh=319781541818) (Forbes) [DeSantis Tactic Of Sending Migrants To Martha’s Vineyard Likely Didn’t Violate Smuggling Laws, Experts Say](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/09/15/desantis-tactic-of-sending-migrants-to-marthas-vineyard-likely-didnt-violate-smuggling-laws-experts-say/?sh=44d23ad732b2) (Forbes) DeSantis’ callousness and disregard for human life than it does about the people of Martha’s Vineyard,” Self said. DeSantis holds a three-point lead over Charlie Crist, according to a [poll](https://www.scribd.com/document/592526768/Polling-snapshot-of-Florida) released earlier this month commissioned by the AARP (50% to 47%). [violated](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/09/15/desantis-tactic-of-sending-migrants-to-marthas-vineyard-likely-didnt-violate-smuggling-laws-experts-say/?sh=44d23ad732b2) a [federal statute](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1324) that prohibits the transportation of undocumented immigrants if they have entered the U.S. [took credit](https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/09/15/desantis-claims-credit-as-dozens-of-venezuelan-migrants-arrive-in-marthas-vineyard/?sh=319781541818) for the charter flights, denies claims migrants were misled, arguing in a [news conference](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/16/politics/marthas-vineyard-migrants-shelter-desantis/index.html) on Friday they acted voluntarily. [Texas Tribune](https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/16/migrants-texas-massachusetts-ron-desantis/) that a tall, blonde woman who said her name was Perla approached him at San Antonio’s Migrant Resource Center, days after he entered the country, promising him a job and a place to live in Boston, and offering him $200 to recruit other migrants to join him on the flight, [Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/09/16/metro/immigration-lawyers-advocates-explore-possible-criminal-violations/) reported.

The Republican described President Joe Biden as "the biggest human trafficker on the face of the planet."

[are now seeking an injunction](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/us/politics/migrants-marthas-vineyard.html) to prevent migrants being flown to cities around the country. "We have a process in place to manage migrants at the border," Biden said. They accuse DeSantis of violating due process and the civil rights of the migrants sent to Massachusetts. Later in the interview, Cruz said: "Right now, the biggest human trafficker on the face of the planet is Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. [shared a list of places](https://www.newsweek.com/ted-cruz-tweets-list-places-migrants-should-sent-next-1743818) he believes migrants should be sent next. "The next day they need 200. The next day they need a thousand. And it just shows what utter nonsense it was," the senator said. And it is World War III. They need 10,000, they need a 100,000, they need 500,000 because [Fox News](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/fox-news) on Friday that he commended GOP Governors [Greg Abbott](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/greg-abbott) of Texas and [Ron DeSantis](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/ron-desantis) of Florida for sending undocumented migrants to "blue cities" and that they needed to do more. [Democrats](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/democrats) are," Cruz told Fox News' [Sean Hannity](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/sean-hannity).

Conservatives hounded NBC News for deleting a tweet that featured a quote comparing the migrants relocated to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts to "trash."

Conservative journalist Jason Howerton was shocked that the outlet had composed the now-deleted tweet, writing, "Holy s---. Miller." NBC News deleted the tweet shortly after posting it on Friday. Prominent conservative Twitter accounts saved images of the tweet and flooded the platform with them. DeSantis](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gavin-newsom-challenges-ron-desantis-debate-name-time#&_intcmp=hp1bt3,hp1bt) sending asylum-seekers to Martha’s Vineyard is like ‘me taking my trash out and just driving to different areas where I live and just throwing my trash there,’ a founding member of a foundation which helps refugees says. [KATIE PAVLICH: IF YOU'RE GOING TO INVESTIGATE DESANTIS FOR KIDNAPING, YOU HAVE TO INVESTIGATE JOE BIDEN](https://www.foxnews.com/media/katie-pavlich-going-investigate-desantis-kidnaping-investigate-joe-biden)

Since Wednesday, Massachusetts officials have worked to support and transition a group of mostly Venezuelans who flown to Cape Cod from Texas.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the people of Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod for their incredible work here, and I couldn’t be prouder to be from the state of Massachusetts to have a state team that pulled this together so quickly.” "Migrants generally are people who are on the move, sometimes for economic reasons, either within one country or across borders," according to the Stylebook. [flown to Martha's Vineyard](https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2022/09/14/gov-ron-desantis-sends-undocumented-immigrants-to-marthas-vineyard-unannounced/10383220002/) on Wednesday, dropped off at the airport with no notice. Ron DeSantis](https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/regional/2022/09/15/migrants-flown-marthas-vineyard-massachusetts-florida-governor-ron-desantis-explained/10385840002/) has taken credit for the move, saying he wanted to relocate the migrants to liberal-leaning areas amid an effort to pressure President Joe Biden on issues at the U.S. [Venezuelans migrating to the U.S. DeSantis use money from the Florida state budget to pay for the flights. [largely from Venuzuela](https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2022/09/17/marthas-vineyard-ma-venezuelan-migrants-promised-jobs-housing-ron-desantis/10387756002/), [were picked up in Texas after crossing the border. [Massachusetts State Senator Julian Cyr](https://malegislature.gov/legislators/profile/jac0) said in a Saturday interview with the Times. Our office is joining with the Governor, federal, state, and community leaders to offer services and help those who have arrived here find a safe place to stay while determining next steps. All funds raised went directly to the MV Community Foundation, to distribute to the organizations with the most need,” the fundraiser stated on the site. The verified, certified charity GoFundMe fundraiser entitled “Urgent plea to help Martha's Vineyard migrants” was organized on behalf of the They were given shelter in a church on the vineyard and have since voluntarily moved to Joint Base Cape Cod.

It's the most sadistic iteration of a scheme preferred by governors of Republican states: dumping migrants on northern progressive cities as a political stunt ...

It’s been reported that the migrants said they were unaware that they were going to Martha’s Vineyard, were [promised aid and housing](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/15/ron-desantis-migrants-marthas-vineyard) and had to [walk miles from the airport](https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/migrants-marthas-vineyard-plane-florida-governor-ron-desantis-immigration-massachusetts/) to seek help. Perhaps DeSantis sent these planes to Martha’s Vineyard hoping that the visual of immigrants at the doorstep of rich, white liberals would help his political aspirations — all the way to the White House. Kennedy, who had supported the civil rights movement much to the displeasure of the South. Many Venezuelans make their way to the U.S. Doug Ducey has also adopted this policy, [busing more than 1,800 migrants to Washington](https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/06/governor-ducey-signs-most-meaningful-border-security-legislation-state-history). The move was in retaliation to the previous year’s Freedom Rides, a movement in which Black and white civil rights activists protested Jim Crow laws by riding interstate buses together through the South. In a speech on Thursday at a gala for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Biden [sent more than 10,000 migrants to liberal enclaves](https://apnews.com/article/florida-immigration-ron-desantis-charlie-baker-4fe96d293de4b189299a372b85c95add). The migrants were kindly greeted on Martha’s Vineyard and received Covid-19 tests, food, clothing and shelter. But this latest gimmick by DeSantis seems to have upped the ante. But resources on the island are scarce. It is cynical point-scoring against whom they see as woke liberals being soft on immigration — a “gotcha” moment.

Venezuelan migrants describe the dangerous walk over mountains and through forests to get to the U.S. Gov. Ron DeSantis says more flights are likely.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the people of Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod for their incredible work here, and I couldn’t be prouder to be from the state of Massachusetts to have a state team that pulled this together so quickly.” I think that’s the real story here, that the governor of Florida and the governor of Texas are using immigrants and refugees as political pawns to score points. “There is no work and the dollar is super high,” Yelianny said. “Because now I’m going to be able to meet my goals,” she said. Along with her boyfriend and a white and brown puppy she named Toby Alejandro, Yelianny trekked across seven countries from Venezuela to reach the United States border. As she snacked on M&M's handed out by the team of volunteers that cared for the migrants in Edgartown, Yelianny held up a photo she had stored on her phone. He wants to be able to take his son to the beach, he said, to the park. “Accounts from the migrants who arrived last night make it clear that they were lied to again and again and fraudulently induced to board the planes,” Self said on Thursday evening. The Venezuelan migrants are among a global diaspora of millions of people who left the country to escape a depressed economy, a dictatorial regime and little hope of anything improving anytime soon. Most go to Colombia, but tens of thousands have made their way to the U.S and other countries, according to the U.S. Greg Abbott and DeSantis ](https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/local/2022/09/15/marthas-vineyard-migrants-political-reaction-elizabeth-warren-charlie-baker-ted-cruz/10388547002/)should send migrants to Nantucket next. ](https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2022/09/16/marthas-vineyard-migrants-immigration-cape-cod-joint-base-ron-desantis-live/10396237002/)

Hillary Clinton criticized Republican lawmakers for sending migrants to Democratic cities after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent 50 to Martha's Vineyard.

Greg Abbott](https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1570408087437348872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1570635058498924546%7Ctwgr%5Ea0386df4463ef6b158cf8fb142a76704b52b163c%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fpolitics%2Faoc-doubles-down-after-republicans-transport-migrants-washington-dc-crimes-against-humanity) has similarly implemented a policy to send migrants from Texas to blue states. [Fox News Digital](https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1570199138834456579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1570199138834456579%7Ctwgr%5Eeff7add3b1c12557108c0846bb6d2d626b109190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fdesantis-dumps-migrants-on-marthas-vineyard-locals-respond-kindly-2022-9) that the move was part of Florida's "relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations." ](https://www.businessinsider.com/aoc-calls-gop-lawmakers-flew-migrants-marthas-vineyard-traffickers-2022-9) The migrants were primarily from Venezuela. "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. ](https://www.businessinsider.com/photo-essay-two-days-with-50-migrants-on-marthas-vineyard-2022-9?r=US&IR=T)

The recent transfer of Venezuelan migrants to Martha's Vineyard resembles the "Reverse Freedom Rides" of 60 years ago, when white supremacist groups bused ...

Another difference - the size of today's scheme has eclipsed the size of the reverse freedom rides by fiftyfold. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. And in large part, that meant that the scheme became unpopular, and it just kind of fizzled out. In Hyannis, there was a small committee that formed with the Unitarian Church and the local chapter of the NAACP. And of course, now when it comes time for them to put up or shut up, they have shut up. One of the committee members was Margaret Moseley, and she was tasked with meeting the buses. It was that attitude that prompted Southern newspapers and radio stations to speak out, kind of worrying about their image and the financial implications of boycotts. And the response from the communities is also similar. And then, perhaps most striking of all, the language today echoes the past. EMANUEL: So the backdrop here is the Freedom Rides of 1961. They were told there would be jobs and housing awaiting them and even a presidential welcome from the Kennedys. Here is Amis Guthridge, one of the masterminds.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: The 50 Venezuelan migrants who were flown from Texas to Martha's Vineyard this week have been moved again. They're now on a military base ...

So he said being on the base will allow the Venezuelans to access medical and legal attention - you know, things they didn't have just a few days ago. I talked to her as the migrants were being ferried to Cape Cod. RIOS: Look, we should say first, they're not in custody, so they willingly were transferred to the base. So they knew they were coming here, but they didn't know they were going to this wealthy, secluded island until they were on the plane. Many of them - I shouldn't say all - they said the Venezuelans were being treated as pawns, and they wanted to do everything they could to help. The 50 Venezuelan migrants who were flown from Texas to Martha's Vineyard this week have been moved again.

The arrival of the dozens of migrants, who Governor Ron DeSantis sent to the island without any advance warning, were initially as surprised as local ...

She also condemned how the migrants were “duped” into agreeing to board the planes — saying that it was “akin to kidnapping.” One of the migrants [told reporters](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/09/15/metro/marthas-vineyard-responds-surprise-arrival-planeloads-migrants/?p1=Article_Inline_Text_Link) that they had been staying in San Antonio after crossing the border before being informed by a “refugee organization” they could go north, they were told, to Boston. [Steven Miller](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/04/report-white-house-wanted-to-bus-migrants-to-dem-cities.html), the notorious architect of the administration’s often objectively cruel immigration agenda. A team of immigration lawyers is also working to provide legal aid to the new arrivals, one of the attorneys, Susan Church, told the Globe. [including Washington, D.C.](https://apnews.com/article/mexico-donald-trump-kamala-harris-immigration-ron-desantis-f9dcae99bdca91c1c874d68453a5960c), Chicago, and New York — in an attempt to criticize to the Biden administration’s immigration policies. [unexpectedly arrived in Martha’s Vineyard](https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2022/09/14/planeload-venezuelan-refugees-arrive-marthas-vineyard-airport), Massachusetts, on Wednesday afternoon as part of a political stunt orchestrated by [Florida governor Ron DeSantis](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ron-desantis-trumpism.html). Since then, they [have bussed thousands of migrants](https://apnews.com/article/florida-immigration-ron-desantis-charlie-baker-4fe96d293de4b189299a372b85c95add?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=TopNews&utm_campaign=position_1) to faraway cities while doing essentially nothing to help local authorities in those destinations prepare to receive and assist the people — other than publicize the fact they that were sending them in the first place. We are a community that helps one another, and you can see that here,” Massachusetts state representative Dylan Fernandes said during a press conference on Thursday, emphasizing that local officials and volunteers had the situation well in hand. “We are a community that welcomes immigrants and that helps one another, and you see that here today embodied on Martha’s Vineyard,” he said. “Some of them were told lies,” State Representative Fernandes said Thursday. [DeSantis’s office soon took credit on Wednesday night](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/09/desantis-tries-fails-to-prove-liberals-hate-migrants-too.html), announcing that Florida had paid for the transportation. “Their communication on this, Governor DeSantis’s on this, was to jump on Fox News and beat his chest about how tough he is on immigration.

The asylum seeker showed Stallings cell phone video taken during the journey across a remote Central American jungle, pointing out migrants who died along the ...

We're used to dealing with people in need and we're super happy -- like they enriched us, we're happy to help them on their journey." "The governor of Florida got it wrong," he said. He had been handing out bags of candy to the migrants on the street. "I just feel compassion," he said, adding that he lives in his car because he refuses to pay the exorbitant rents on the island. "I want the journey they experienced and the hardships they experienced to have been worth it for them and their families. And I just I want their journey to have a happy ending." In San Antonio, they were approached by a woman who offered them a plane ride to a shelter in the Northeast where there would be housing, jobs and assistance with immigration papers. In San Antonio, they encountered a woman who offered them a free flight to a place they had never heard of, along with a promise of immigration assistance, housing and employment. In Mexico, Torrealba said, the couple and other migrants were briefly abducted by members of the Zetas cartel, a violent drug trafficking organization. I only want a better future for my family," he said of his parents, grandparents and his favorite niece back home. The mud is like to up to here to them," she said Friday in the shade of the parish house porch, pointing to her thigh. "I want them to have a good life," she said.

The city of San Antonio — where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chartered flights to transport 50 migrants out of state this week — said Saturday that it is advising ...

The governors of Texas and Florida are so close to helping — if they just looked at the piece of paper that says where they need to be.” “Ultimately the migrants decide if it is a good fit for their needs,” she said, noting the day shelter in the tiny border city, “can only do so much. Migrant bus transports from Texas to Washington continued Saturday: About 50 migrants, including a one-month-old baby, arrived to the residence of Vice President Harris. Department of Homeland Security released the migrants with forms falsely stating that they would reside at homeless shelters from Washington state to Florida, and then told them to check in at nearby immigration offices once they arrived. “There were a lot of misrepresentations made here.” They also plan to erect billboards for migrants along I-35 outside Eagle Pass and San Antonio, he said, “Warning stranger danger with people offering jobs and free transportation who are not legit refugee services.” Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which represents the government in deportation proceedings, did not respond to requests for comment Saturday. DHS conducts background checks on migrants before releasing them to local shelters, nonprofits, or city services for help finding housing or transportation. She is enticing them to break the law,” Garcia said. They will also rename it the “Centro de Bienvenida,” or welcoming center, and will offer food, clothing and case management. So she is enticing them to work which is a federal offense. Ron DeSantis chartered flights to transport 50 migrants out of state this week — said Saturday that it is advising migrants “not to accept rides or any other assistance from strangers” outside the Migrant Resource Center.

Dozens of migrants to the US, most of them traveling from Venezuela, were transported via private jet from San Antonio, Texas to Martha's Vineyard, ...

So the jobs that DeSantis and Abbott have promised to entice migrants to go away from border areas, if they exist at all, would be unofficial — under the table. [the Texas Tribune](https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/16/migrants-texas-massachusetts-ron-desantis/), corroborated elsewhere, the people who arrived in Martha’s Vineyard this week were approached in San Antonio by a woman offering them a free trip to Boston, where they would be provided with jobs and assistance with rent. In terms of what happens next for the people at Joint Base Cape Cod, and others who have been bused or otherwise transported out of border states, they’ve got a long, complex, and arduous road ahead to gain legal status, work authorization, housing, and a life in the US. One man from Colombia, who gave his name as Carlos, told Vox that he and his family came to the US because they were threatened by an armed group in their home country. Self told Vox that attorneys from Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, South Coast Legal Services, and Massachusetts Law Reform Institute are providing legal services for the recent arrivals, and “All the migrants were provided phones loaded with Whatsapp so they could communicate effectively and stay in touch with their lawyers.” “These are individuals who are crossing the border who are in deep, rural, desert Texas and they’re left alone, to their own devices,” Mackler said. [sent buses carrying as many as 100 people to the Naval Observatory](https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/15/greg-abbott-texas-kamala-harris-migrant-bus/), Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence, apparently in retaliation for her claims on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the southern border is secure. [Florida CBS affiliate CBS 8 ](https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/verify/immigration/florida-governor-desantis-12-million-program-transport-migrants-fact-check/536-7cb8159b-79c4-4f43-9c78-0fa009d9d2f5)found [records showing ](http://www.transparencyflorida.gov/Searches/SearchVendors_Warrant.aspx?FY=23&VID=2910978&BE=55150200&LI=*****&AC=108845&Fund=1000&ST=vertol&ID=&OVID=2910978&SC=F)that on September 8 the Department of Transportation had paid $615,000 to an Oregon aviation vendor operating in Destin, FL, under the line item “Grants and aids — Relocation program of unauthorized aliens.” Fenske did not answer Vox’s emailed question regarding the cost of the flights. Doug Ducey (R) sent more than 7,000 migrants from Texas and Arizona to New York City and Washington, DC as of August, [Reuters reported at the time](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-frustrated-washington-mayor-seeks-troops-help-handle-migrants-2022-08-03/). The migrants were led to believe that they were headed to Boston; instead, they arrived at the end of the tourist season in a community which often hosts the vacationing rich and powerful — including politicians and presidents. And so they went from Texas to Florida, to Martha’s Vineyard in the flight.” DeSantis also defended approaching migrants in Texas and moving them elsewhere because, he claimed “40 percent of them say they want to go to Florida.” However, the $12 million program within the Florida Department of Transportation, approved with bipartisan support by the state legislature, is supposed to be used to move people [specifically from the state of Florida](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/16/us/marthas-vineyard-migrants-florida-budget-language/index.html) — unlike the migrants who were in San Antonio, Texas before landing in Massachusetts. According to Rachel Self, an attorney assisting the newly arrived migrants, a representative for the Department of Justice is at Joint Base Cape Cod, where the migrants are being sheltered; the DOJ declined to comment on the matter.