A Texas sheriff is recommending criminal charges be brought against those who orchestrated two migrant flights sent to Martha’s Vineyard by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last September.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, an elected Democrat, said an on-site operation allegedly lured migrants to the flights with false promises of jobs and opportunities on the other side.
The sheriff’s office has handed over District Attorney Joe Gonzales his findings from a criminal investigation into the flights. It is now up to the public prosecutor to file a report.
Salazar has said he did not investigate DeSantis, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, but only those who had direct contact with the San Antonio immigrants.
Over the weekend, the same contractor, Vertol Systems, is said to have transported more than a dozen migrants from Texas to California. The migrants carried documents proving that the trip had been arranged by the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Texas Sheriff Javier Salazar (pictured) of Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, is leading the investigation into how migrants were rounded up and sent to Martha’s Vineyard
DeSantis sent two planes carrying 50 migrants to the affluent island last September
DeSantis defended his actions at the time, claiming that the migrants knew exactly where they were going and had volunteered for the trip
Last fall, Salazar ranted against the flights taking off from his city of San Antonio and saw 48 Venezuelans board private jets to fly to Massachusetts.
“I believe criminal activity is involved,” Salazar said when announcing the investigation, adding that he believed the migrants had been “hunted” and “cheated.”
“The case filed includes both felony and misdemeanor charges of unlawful restraint,” the statement, released Monday, said. The case is currently being assessed by the Public Prosecution Service. As soon as an update is available, it will be made available to the public.”
Prosecutors in Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, will now have to decide whether to follow the sheriff’s recommendations for filing charges.
Now that the case is in the hands of prosecutors, there is a very real possibility that a criminal investigation could entrap some of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ aides.
The migrant relocation program was funded with Florida tax dollars and overseen by DeSantis Chief of Staff James Uthmeier and Public Safety Czar Larry Keefe.
The Venezuelan migrants flown from San Antonio to the wealthy island of Massachusetts said they were told they were going to Boston, though Julio Henriquez, a lawyer who later met several migrants, said they had “no idea where they were going or where they went’. they were.’
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who last month announced his 2024 presidential bid, has been heavily criticized for his tough stance on immigration. He will be photographed in Iowa on Sunday
Last fall, Sheriff Salazar ranted against the flights taking off from his city of San Antonio and saw 48 Venezuelans board private jets to fly to Massachusetts.
The group of migrants was flown to the island from Texas and left them behind. They were later transferred to a military base in Cape Cod
He explained how a Latina woman approached migrants at a city-run shelter in San Antonio and placed them in a nearby La Quinta Inn, visiting daily with food and gift cards.
According to Henriquez, she promised jobs and three months of housing in Washington, New York, Philadelphia and Boston.
It’s not clear if anyone boarded buses or planes unintentionally, or if their civil rights were violated.
The rights of asylum seekers coming to the US are also more limited because they are not citizens.
However, the constitution does protect them against discrimination on the basis of race or national origin and against improper treatment by the government.
More than a dozen Venezuelan and Colombian migrants who entered the US via Texas were transported by private plane to Sacramento, California, and departed outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, pictured
Monday’s announcement comes as 16 Venezuelan and Colombian migrants who entered the US via Texas were transported to Sacramento, California and left outside a church over the weekend.
While DeSantis has not confirmed whether the state of Florida was behind flights from Texas to California, the migrants carried documents suggesting the trip was arranged by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Vertol Systems.
Vertol Systems was the private contractor that also arranged the original flights to Martha’s Vineyard last year.
“We are investigating the circumstances under which these individuals were brought to California. We are also evaluating possible criminal or civil action against those who transported or arranged the transportation of these vulnerable immigrants,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement from his office.
Rachel Self, an attorney representing the migrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard, is calling for the prosecution of DeSantis and his aides.
“The fact that no charges have been filed has clearly left the Florida authorities with the impression that they can continue to act in this manner with impunity,” Self said. The Miami Herald.
“The perpetrators must know: whoever you are, you are not above the law. There’s a lesson to be learned.”