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Nearly 50 illegal immigrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are eligible for a visa to remain in the US because their treatment was criminal, a Texas sheriff has said.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar on Thursday filed documents suggesting the 48 migrants were victims of a crime, qualifying them for a nonimmigrant “U-visa” that allows them to remain in the US until any criminal proceedings are completed.
Salazar, a Democrat whose province includes San Antonio, says the DeSantis flight broke the law by lying to the Venezuelan migrants about their destination and the support they could expect upon arrival.
The migrants are believed to have been told they would be taken to Boston, before being flown instead to the posh island off the coast of Cape Cod on Sept. 14.
“We have submitted documentation through the federal system to ensure the migrants’ availability as witnesses during the investigation,” Salazar said in a statement.
The Bexar County Sheriff launched an investigation into DeSantis’ plan last month and filed documents Thursday characterizing them as crime victims.
The migrants were flown from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, in September as part of a stunt organized by… Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Under DeSantis’ leadership, the state of Florida paid for two flights to take them from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard.
DeSantis’ goal was to draw attention to an influx of immigrants to Southern states and an alleged hypocrisy of people like Massachusetts who pride themselves on being “holy states.”
DeSantis and other GOP governors say many Democratic refugee leaders have little understanding of how badly the continued influx of illegal immigrants is hitting the cities along the southern border.
“The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns experience every day is brought to their doorsteps, they suddenly become confused,” DeSantis said in September.
“It shows that their virtue signaling is deception,” he added.
The Venezuelan migrants were flown to Martha’s Vineyard by DeSantis. They are now eligible for a U-visa, which could eventually become green cards
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis oversaw two flights from San Antonio to transport the migrants to Martha’s Vineyard
Rachel Self is a lawyer who works with the migrants.
She told radio station WGBH that Salazar’s move was intended to allow the immigrants to obtain visas, which are reserved for victims or witnesses of crimes.
Obtaining certification for a ‘U-visa’ can often take as long as a year, so it’s unusual for Salazar to complete the process so quickly.
A U visa holder is eligible to apply for a green card after having held this card for three years.
Members of a group of nearly 50 migrants from Venezuela who were flown to the island of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Cape Cod on Sept. 14 look at cell phones at the parish hall of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Edgartown
Volunteers prepare food for immigrants outside St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Edgartown near Martha’s Vineyard
This move by the Bexar County Sheriff to help the migrants comes weeks after he launched an investigation into DeSantis’ plan.
No charges have been filed yet.
“Based on the allegations of migrants transported from Bexar County under false pretenses, we are investigating this case as possible unlawful coercion,” Salazar said in the statement.
“We have identified suspects, but at this point in the investigation we are not at liberty to release those names or confirm any identity.”
Salazar may be referring to 43-year-old former military spy Perla Huerta.
Huerta was allegedly spotted in the crowd last month loading mostly Venezuelan migrants onto a plane at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.
Migrants told the New York Times that Huerta approached them in San Antonio with the proposal to fly north to Martha’s Vineyard, where jobs, shelter and legal representation would be available.
According to the Times, she was sent to Texas to convince the migrants to move north.
“We are actively working with the Bexar County District Attorney and the attorneys representing the migrants,” Salazar said in the statement.
“The investigation is ongoing and we will release any updates as they become available.”
Perla Huerta, 43, was spotted in the crowd last month helping to load mostly Venezuelan migrants onto a plane at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, before being exposed as a conduit for Florida’s governor.