Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed through on his promise to drop off asylum-seeking migrants in Democrat-controlled areas, sending two planes full of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday.
Martha’s Vineyard is known as the residence of various wealthy individuals. Former president Barack Obama purchased a multi-million dollar mansion on the island in 2019.
However, the migrants transported to the Massachusetts island were not from DeSantis’ state but Texas.
Florida chartered two planes on Wednesday to pick up about 50 asylum-seeking migrants from San Antonio, Texas, and drop them off on the Massachusetts island, DeSantis’s office confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel. The migrants were from Venezuela and Colombia.
The planes made a stop in the Florida panhandle before making their way to Martha’s Vineyard, CBS News reported.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office told The Dallas Express it did not have a say in the migrant’s final destination being Martha’s Vineyard.
“Our office has had conversations with Governor DeSantis and his team about supporting our busing strategy to provide much-needed relief to our overwhelmed and overrun border communities,” said Abbott’s press secretary Renae Eze. “Though we were not involved in these initial planes to Martha’s Vineyard, we appreciate the support in responding to this national crisis and helping Texans.”
The migrants arrived in Martha’s Vineyard via Florida just hours before two busloads of migrants directly from Texas were dropped off outside the Washington D.C. residence of Vice President Kamala Harris and first gentleman Doug Emhoff.
Gov. DeSantis defended his move at a Thursday press conference amid criticism from Democrats.
“If you have folks who are inclined to think Florida is a good place [to settle], our message to them is we are not a sanctuary state, and it’s better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction,” Gov. DeSantis told a crowd Thursday afternoon.
“And yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures,” he added.
The costs of chartering the planes to Martha’s Vineyard came out of $12 million that was appropriated in Florida’s state budget this year to relocate migrants waiting for asylum court hearings out of the state, according to Gov. DeSantis’ office.
“It is not the responsibility of Floridians to subsidize aliens to reside in our state unlawfully; we did not consent to Biden’s open-borders agenda,” the governor’s office said when the Florida Legislature approved the budget.
Dana Edelman of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services told the MVTimes that in speaking with many of the migrants through translators, he gathered that they were unaware of where they were being flown.
“There’s been a lot of trauma,” said Edelman. “Somebody sent them here, and they didn’t realize where they were going.”
The Archdiocese of Miami issued a statement that read in part:
“Immigration is not just a political issue, but a fundamental human and moral issue. For the immigrants are not faceless numbers – but human persons. They are our brothers and sisters. Justice and prudence demand that we treat them with dignity and find a reasonable way for their contributions and presence to be recognized within the law.”
For its part, residents of Martha’s Vineyard welcomed the migrants, with Massachusetts State Rep. Dylan Fernandes (D), whose district includes the Vineyard, tweeting:
“Our island jumped into action putting together 50 beds, giving everyone a good meal, providing a play area for the children, making sure people have the healthcare and support they need. We are a community that comes together to support immigrants.”
On Friday, the migrants boarded a bus that departed Martha’s Vineyard and arrived at Joint Base Cape Cod, where Massachusetts’ Republican Gov. Charlie Baker opened a shelter.
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Racheal Rollins told Fox News she plans to speak to the Department of Justice about possible legal actions regarding the transportation of migrants to Massachusetts.
Texas Gov. Abbott sparked the relocation of migrants in April when he began sending thousands of processed migrants to Washington, D.C. In August, buses from Texas started heading to New York City and Chicago. Arizona has also sent buses to the nation’s capital.
More than 10,000 migrants have been sent to the cities by Texas since April, according to Gov. Abbott’s office.