More fallout from migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard. A Texas sheriff says he's investigating whether any laws were broken as part of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) scheme to ship 48 Venezuelan migrants off to Martha's Vineyard last week.
The migrants were recruited from a shelter in San Antonio, Texas, which is in Bexar County, and then flown to Florida, before ultimately landing in Massachusetts. They were reportedly
told that they were going to Boston and that they could get expedited work papers there.
Instead,
DeSantis sent them to the small island of Martha's Vineyard and did not inform officials there that they were coming.
Now, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office "has opened an investigation into the migrants that were lured from the Migrant Resource Center, located in Bexar County, TX, and flown to Florida, where they were ultimately left to fend for themselves in Martha's Vineyard," the office
announced Monday. "Additionally, we are working with private attorneys who are representing the victims, as well as advocacy organizations regarding this incident. We are also preparing to work with any federal agencies that have concurrent jurisdiction, should the need arise."
At a Monday press conference, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said the "48 migrants were lured under false pretenses" and that they were "exploited and hoodwinked" for "nothing more than political posturing."
"They were promised work, they were promised a solution to several of their problems,"
said Salazar. "They were taken to Martha's Vineyard, from what we can gather, for little more than a photo op, video op, and then they were unceremoniously stranded in Martha's Vineyard."
Salazar said they're "very early in the investigation," but "I believe there is some criminal activity involved here."
The migrant move also has DeSantis facing questions from Florida lawmakers, who question whether he had the legal authority to fly people to Martha's Vineyard. DeSantis said he paid for the flights with money earmarked by the state legislature to "facilitate the transport of unauthorized aliens from this state consistent with federal law."
But "state Democrats and others are questioning whether the flights were legal since they originated in Texas and not Florida,"
reports Politico. "The law also specified that the flights should be used to transport 'unauthorized aliens'—but lawyers speaking on behalf of the migrants say many who were flown to Martha's Vineyard are seeking asylum, which puts them in a different category legally."