Migrants Arrive on Martha’s Vineyard

On September 14th, Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis sent approximately 50 primarily Venezuelan asylum-seekers on a chartered jet from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. (Benjamin Rascoe/Unsplash).

Migrants said they were offered a flight to Massachusetts where they would find shelter, support, work permits, and English lessons but unsuspecting islanders had to rush to provide basic necessities.

Article by Cate McCusker, Senior White House Correspondent

MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MASS. - On Wednesday afternoon, two planes containing about 50 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, landed in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts…much to the surprise of the islanders.

Both flights took off from San Antonio, Texas, and after stopping in Florida and the Carolinas, the migrants landed in the Vineyard at around 3:15 pm.

A spokesperson for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ office confirmed that these flights were paid for by Florida under a state program that was funded by the legislature earlier this year.

“States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration,” the statement said.

The migrants have said they were offered a flight to Massachusetts where they would find shelter, support, help with work permits, and English lessons. But when the planes touched down on Wednesday afternoon, the unsuspecting islanders had to rush to provide basic necessities.

“Currently immigrants are being dropped off on Martha's Vineyard by chartered flights from Texas,” Massachusetts State Representative Dylan Fernandes said in a tweet that evening. “Many don't know where they are. They say they were told they would be given housing and jobs. Islanders we're given no notice but are coming together as a community to support them.”

Makeshift beds were set up as Vineyard residents came together to provide what resources they could. Local high school AP Spanish students visited the migrants to help with translations, an island church held a Spanish speaking mass and islanders dropped off food and clothing.

Fernandes applauded his constituents for their efforts to help the island’s unexpected guests.

“These immigrants were not met with chaos, they were met with compassion,” he said in a tweet. “We are a community & nation that is stronger because of immigrants. The community coming together with water, food, interpretation help, & resources to support these families represent the best of America.”

On Friday, migrants were voluntarily moved to Joint Base Cape Cod, a new emergency shelter to help aid the migrants.

“The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is coordinating efforts among state and local officials to ensure access to food, shelter and essential services for these men, women and children,” Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito’s Office announced in a press release.

Now, Democrats and immigration advocates are working to take legal action against DeSantis.

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, along with Massachusetts Representatives Bill Keating, Lori Trahan, Jake Auchincloss, Jim McGovern, Seth Moulton and Ayanna Pressley, have sent a letter urging the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Inspector General to investigate “the State of Florida’s apparent misuse of federal pandemic relief funds…to relocate vulnerable immigrants from Florida to other states across the country,” Markey’s office said in a press release.

Other politicians are speaking of human trafficking violations.

“We are requesting that the Department of Justice open an investigation to hold DeSantis & others accountable for these inhumane acts,” Fernandes said in a tweet on Saturday morning. “Not only is it morally criminal, there are legal implications around fraud, kidnapping, deprivation of liberty, and human trafficking.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre criticized DeSantis’ and Abbott’s actions as well.

“There’s a legal way of doing this, for managing migrants” she said. “Republican governors interfering in that process and using migrants as political pawns is shameful, is reckless, and just plain wrong.”

DeSantis, however, has defended his actions. At a news conference in North Florida on Thursday, DeSantis explained his reasoning for sending the migrants to the Vineyard.

“We are not a sanctuary state and it’s better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction, and yes we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures,” he said, referring to states that claim sanctuary status, with laws and regulations that aid immigrants, like Massachusetts and New York. “The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they all of a sudden go berserk.”