Why it matters: Attorneys said their clients were “induced to board planes and cross state lines under false pretenses,” including promises of job opportunities, schooling for their children and immigration assistance, by people working with the Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis (R) .
Nearly 50 Venezuelan migrants in total landed on Martha’s Vineyard, an island in Massachusetts, and have since been transferred to Joint Base Cape Cod, which had vacant housing and access to social services. Thirty of those immigrants are represented by lawyers from Lawyers for Civil Rights, a Boston-based organization that provides free legal support to communities of color and immigrants throughout Massachusetts.
What they say: “It wasn’t until the flight was in the air that they were informed they would be flying to Martha’s Vineyard, instead of Boston as many had said,” the Civil Rights Lawyers said in letters to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Rachael Rollins, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
“As soon as the planes landed, those who had induced our customers to travel under these false pretenses disappeared, leaving our customers to learn that all offers of assistance were a ploy to exploit them for political purposes,” the organization added. Rollins told the Boston Globe on Friday that her office is considering “any legal action we could take” in response to the flights.
DeSantis took credit for organizing the flights and vowed to continue relocating more immigrants to mostly Democratic-run cities.
“If you have people who tend to think Florida is a good place, our message to them is we’re not a sanctuary state and you’re better off being able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction and, yes, we will help facilitate that transfer so you can go to greener pastures,” he said at an event on Thursday. Massachusetts is not officially a sanctuary state, but it has eight cities designated as sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants — the closest from Martha’s Vineyard is Boston, which is about 100 miles to the north, according to NBC Boston.
The big picture: DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) have so far taken more than 10,000 immigrants to Democratic cities, including New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., to protest for the Biden administration. border policies, which they claim are too lax.
Cabinet chiefs and White House officials met Friday morning to discuss “litigation options” in part to respond to governors moving unauthorized immigrants to other parts of the country, Axios’ Stef Kight reports.
Go deeper: Border Dem slams ‘lifeless’ DeSantis over Martha’s Vineyard stunt
