Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew two planes of immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday, escalating a tactic by Republican governors to draw attention to what they see as the Biden administration’s failed border policies . The flights to the upscale island enclave in Massachusetts were part of an effort to “transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations,” said Taryn Fenske, DeSantis’ director of communications. Although DeSantis’ office did not elaborate on their legal status, many migrants who cross the border illegally from Mexico are temporarily protected from deportation after being released by U.S. authorities to seek asylum in U.S. courts. ‘immigration, as permitted by US law and international treaty, or on humanitarian parole. Terry MacCormack, press secretary for Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, said in a statement that the state executive was “in contact with local officials regarding the arrival of migrants on Martha’s Vineyard.” .
“At this time, local officials are providing short-term shelter services and the Administration will continue to support these efforts,” MacCormack said.
A woman, part of a group of newly arrived immigrants, holds a child while feeding outside the Episcopal Church of St. Andrews on September 14, 2022, in Edgartown, Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard. Ray Ewing/AP
State Rep. Dylan Fernandes, who represents Martha’s Vineyard, tweeted: “Our island jumped into action by gathering 50 beds, giving everyone a good meal, providing a play area for the kids, making sure people have the ‘health care and the support it needs. We are a community that comes together to support immigrants.’
Martha’s Vineyard Island Regional Emergency Management said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that “approximately 50 people, as far as we know from Venezuela, landed at the Martha’s Vineyard airport seeking shelter.”
Immigrants gather with their belongings outside the Episcopal Church of St. Andrews on September 14, 2022, in Edgartown, Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard. Ray Ewing/AP
“Emergency management operations from the six island cities and the sheriff’s office, as well as county management are actively collaborating to develop a coordinated regional response,” the statement said, adding that “s “they have set up two emergency shelters in local churches on the island, with additional space available in case there are more arrivals.”
Emergency management teams had “reached out to our state and federal partners for additional long-term support and assistance.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott began transporting thousands of migrants to Washington DC in April and recently added New York and Chicago as destinations. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has been bringing migrants to Washington since May. Passengers must sign waivers that the free rides are voluntary.
Governor Greg Abbott pledges to continue transporting migrants to sanctuary cities 02:00
DeSantis, who is mentioned as a potential candidate for the presidency, appears to be taking the strategy to a new level by using planes and choosing Martha’s Vineyard, whose port cities of about 15,000 people are far less prepared than New York or Washington for adults. influxes of migrants.
CBS Boston reported that the group of migrants wandered about three and a half miles from the airport to Edgartown, where Barbara Rush of the Church of St. Andrews, said that “Martha’s Vineyard Community Services had literally 50 people come to the front door.”
CBS News immigration reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez notes that, unlike other cities that Republican governors have chosen as destinations for migrants, Martha’s Vineyard is not an urban, metropolitan area with a service infrastructure strong social networks: there are no large refugee or migrant service organizations. the island. There is no Department of Justice immigration court where migrants can attend asylum hearings. There is no ICE field office where migrants can register. Because it has not been a top destination for recent arrivals, the flights will also raise questions about whether all the migrants transported there on Wednesday knew where they were going. Regardless, the move is likely to delight DeSantis’ supporters who scoff at Democrat-run, pro-immigrant “sanctuary” cities and anger critics who say he is arming migrants as pawns for political gain.
History does not look well on leaders who treat human beings as cargo, load them up and send them a thousand miles away without telling them their fate. Still, Florida @GovRonDeSantis made that choice today.
— Congressman Bill Keating (@USRepKeating) September 15, 2022
“History does not look kindly on leaders who treat human beings as cargo, loading them up and sending them a thousand miles away without telling them their fate,” warned Rep. Bill Keating, D-Massachusetts. The Florida Legislature appropriated $12 million to transport “illegal immigrants” out of the state, in accordance with federal law, Fenske said. “States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these people who have invited into our country by encouraging illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and supporting the open border policies of the ‘Biden administration,’ Fenske said. .
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