Massachusetts authorities announced Friday that they will move approximately 50 migrants from the island of Martha’s Vineyard to a military base on Cape Cod so they can find shelter and chart their next steps. The move is voluntary for the migrants, the state said.
Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said the migrants will be offered “shelter and humanitarian support” in dormitory-style rooms at Joint Base Cape Cod in Bourne. State and local officials will also ensure that migrants have food, shelter and other services. Baker said he plans to activate up to 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to help in the relief effort.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (D) surprised federal and state officials Wednesday by sending migrants who recently crossed the US-Mexico border to the affluent resort island. The move is part of an ongoing campaign by DeSantis and other Republican governors of Texas and Arizona to send migrants to Democratic cities like Washington, New York and Chicago to publicize the growing number of crossings this year at the southern border .
Many migrants may have ended up in these states anyway, but the unexpected arrivals are catching locals off guard and scrambling to find supplies and shelter for the new arrivals. Many of the migrants come from Venezuela, a South American nation that has been engulfed in political and economic crisis, with shortages of food, water and electricity.
In a speech at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual gala Thursday night, Biden attacked Republicans.
“Instead of working with us on solutions, Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props,” he said. “What they’re doing is just wrong, it’s un-American, it’s reckless.”
But Republicans defended the action, saying border cities were experiencing influxes in even greater numbers. Federal border agents have made nearly 2 million apprehensions at the southern border this fiscal year, surpassing last year’s total.
“If there is a humanitarian crisis on Martha’s Vineyard, wouldn’t it stand to reason that there would be a dramatically more significant humanitarian crisis on the southwest border?” House Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee tweeted Friday.
Massachusetts state and local politicians praised the response on Martha’s Vineyard, an offshore island accessible only by air and sea, where volunteers flocked to help the migrants when they showed up carrying maps and some belongings. Some said they were hoping to get to a bigger city, close to public transportation, and not a small island of 20,000 people.
The state said “island communities are not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation”.
The military base is already used as an emergency shelter and officials said it can provide “safe temporary accommodation suited to the specific needs of families and individuals”.
The facility also has space for access to legal services and healthcare. In the past, the base has hosted Louisiana residents fleeing Hurricane Katrina and Massachusetts residents affected by covid.
“We are grateful to the providers, volunteers and local officials who have stepped up on Martha’s Vineyard over the past few days to provide immediate services to these individuals,” Baker said in a statement.
“While Wednesday’s arrival on Martha’s Vineyard was unexpected, the extraordinary response was not,” said Public Safety Secretary Terrence Reidy. “The work of so many state and local partners exemplifies the best values of our Commonwealth, providing safe shelter, food and care to people who have been through a long, harrowing journey.”
State officials said they have a plan to help migrants who decide to stay on the base, including shelter, clothing, personal hygiene kits, bonds and access to health care, mental health and counseling their mother tongue. The base cannot accept donations, officials said.
Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Houston and Joanna Slater in Williamstown contributed to this report.