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Lawyers representing 30 of the 48 Venezuelan asylum seekers who were flown from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard near Massachusetts want to open a criminal investigation, alleging they “were brought aboard planes under false pretenses and crossed state lines.”
The Boston-based Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) group, which represents the asylum seekers pro-bono, says the group, which includes women and toddlers, has been duped in a coordinated political stunt that targeted vulnerable people based on their race and country of origin .
‘Individuals working with state officials, including the governor of Florida, made numerous false promises’ [to the migrants] — including job opportunities, education for their children and immigration assistance — to encourage them to travel,” the lawyers argue.
The lawyers are now urging US attorney Rachael Rollins and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey to launch criminal investigations into those behind the group’s transportation.
“We are firmly convinced that the perpetrators of this stunt have violated criminal law,” LCR writes in a letter.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker made the decision to relocate the illegal immigrants just 48 hours after they landed in the billionaire’s enclave, with some residents reeling
DeSantis sent two planes carrying 50 migrants to the affluent island on Thursday and now threatens to send more to Delaware — following Texas Gov Greg Abbott’s “blueprint”
The Boston-based Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) group, which represents the asylum seekers pro-bono, says the group, which includes women and toddlers, has been duped in a coordinated political stunt that targeted vulnerable people based on their race and country of origin
“This cowardly political stunt has put our customers at risk. Upon arrival, numerous individuals had to be rushed to hospital in need of medical care. Some are already having an immigration hearing on Monday, thousands of miles away,” the lawyers added in a statement.
“They preyed on the vulnerability of our customers — many of whom had suffered deep trauma in their home countries and on their travels to the United States — and exploited this vulnerability to gain trust through false promises,” it added.
The migrants were not told their destination was Martha’s Vineyard rather than the city of Boston until they were already en route.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said the migrants knew full well where they were going, having previously signed waivers.
The migrants have since been transferred to Joint Base Cape Cod on the mainland.
The 50 migrants who arrived at Martha’s Vineyard have now been moved 52 miles away to a military base in Cape Cod
Late last week, immigrants stayed at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Martha’s Vineyard. Some refugees were playing football in front of the church today. Some left church with new clothes and sneakers on
The JBCC shared-use base where the migrants are now being taken is home to five military commandos training for missions at home and abroad, and was used as a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic
DeSantis may still feel some political ramifications from Florida’s home to largest contingent of Venezuelans in the US
Local community leaders have accused the governor of trying to score political points.
Sending migrants to Martha’s Vineyard is one of several measures taken in recent months by Republican governors who run the southern border states, many of whom have bused thousands of migrants to Washington DC, New York and Chicago.
DeSantis may still feel some political ramifications from Florida’s home to largest contingent of Venezuelans in the US
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has sent 11,000 migrants to refuges and states including 8,000 to DC and 2,500 to New York City.
At least 600 migrants from Texas have also been transported to Chicago since late August.
Similarly, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has brought nearly 2,000 migrants to DC
Much of the intent is to highlight the Biden administration’s ineffective hold on the immigration crisis, especially in the run-up to November’s midterm elections, where immigration will weigh on voters as a key issue.
On Saturday, about 50 migrants from Texas were taken by bus to Vice President Kamala Harris’s home.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a news conference Friday that Abbott and DeSantis were using migrants “as political pawns, treating them like chattels.”
Democrats say the strategy will only add stress to the migrants who often seek to reunite with relatives already in the country while waiting for their own immigration hearings.
The White House has rejected the efforts of Republican governors, saying the migrants, mostly from Venezuela, were used for a political stunt.
‘These were children. They were mothers. They were fleeing communism. And what did Governor DeSantis and Governor Abbott do with them? They used them as political pawns, treated them like chattels,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a news conference Friday.
She said: “This is an inhumane issue, it is abhorrent and we should not use people, migrants, fleeing communism as political pawns.”