It was an escalation of a concerted effort by Republican state governors to highlight the record number of crossings at the US-Mexico border under the Joe Biden administration. Separately, Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, drove two busloads of illegal immigrants to Washington, where they were dropped off outside the official residence of Kamala Harris, the vice president, which is next to the British embassy. Karine Jean-Pierre, a White House press secretary, accused Republican governors of using immigrants as “political pawns” in a “shameful” way. He said: “It’s a political stunt. It’s a cruel, inhumane way of dealing with people fleeing communism. We’re talking about children, we’re talking about families. “Governor Ron DeSantis sent a hired videographer on the plane to Massachusetts to capture footage of their crash. Remember, there were children on that plane. It’s a political game. It’s cruel.”
The White House was not notified
The White House was not notified in advance of turning away immigrants at the vice president’s residence, but Fox News was, he said. Obama took seven summer vacations on Martha’s Vineyard and in 2019 spent $12 million on a 29-acre estate. The nearby former home of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis recently sold for $27 million. Celebrities who live or have lived on the island, south of Cape Cod, include Meg Ryan, Bill Murray and Larry David. It is a popular summer vacation destination for entertainment personalities, including Oprah Winfrey, and has a year-round population of about 20,000. A spokeswoman for Mr. DeSantis, who is widely considered a possible Republican presidential nominee in 2024, said the two planes were chartered using some of the $12 million Florida has set aside to transport illegal immigrants out of the state. He said: “States like Massachusetts, New York and California will make it easier to better care for these individuals, who have invited them into our country by encouraging illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and supporting policies that are open to borders of the Biden administration. .” Another spokeswoman for Mr. DeSantis added: “The people of Martha’s Vineyard should be excited about this. They vote for sanctuary cities – they get a sanctuary city of their own. “And illegal aliens will increase the diversity of the city, which is a strength. Right?” The approximately 50 migrants, including some children, were seen arriving at the island’s airport and being loaded into trucks. They were later spotted sitting on the pavement outside St Andrew’s Episcopal Church in the picturesque setting of Edgartown. Several migrants told NPR they voluntarily agreed to board a plane in San Antonio, Texas, and it went through Florida. They said they had been told they were going to Boston, Massachusetts.
