When dozens of migrants hopped on a plane to travel to Martha's Vineyard, they were lured under false pretenses with pamphlets advertising assistance with cash, housing and jobs for refugees, according to lawyers.
Upon landing on the Massachusetts island last week, those implicit promises of help were dashed because migrants are not even close to being classified as refugees, a specific term under U.S. immigration law, NBC News reported.
State and federal authorities are now being urged to investigate the September 14th flights, which were apparently organized in part by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, escalating a tactic by Republican governors to draw attention to what they consider to be the Biden administration's failed border policies.
DeSantis addressed the situation in a press conference the day after the flights, saying undocumented immigrants looking for residence should not come to Florida.
"Our message to them is we are not a sanctuary state," DeSantis said to cheers from the crowd. "It's better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction, and yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to go to greener pastures."
Boston-based Lawyers for Civil Rights, which represents 30 people involved in the case, says the Venezuelan migrants were induced to board two airplanes and cross state lines under false pretenses. Additionally, lawyers claim that mid-flight, the migrants were informed they would be flown to Martha's Vineyard rather than to Boston as many had been told.
The non-profit group shared images of the brochure that was distributed to migrants.
"Individuals, working in concert with State officials, including the Florida Governor, made numerous false promises to [our] clients — including of work opportunities, schooling for their children, and immigration assistance — in order to induce them to travel," the group said in a statement. "Once the planes landed, those who had induced individuals to travel under these false pretenses disappeared, leaving the immigrants to learn that the offers of assistance had all been a ruse to exploit them for political purposes."
The group is asking U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey to formally open criminal investigations.
"It is unconscionable to treat human beings – especially members of such a vulnerable population – like pawns to make a political point," Lawyers for Civil Rights said. "We are also investigating the inhumane manner in which they were shipped across the country, to determine the responsible parties, whether state or federal criminal laws against human trafficking and kidnapping were violated, and what other legal remedies are available."
The migrants were ultimately moved voluntarily to a military base on nearby Cape Cod.
DeSantis said Friday that most migrants intended to come to Florida and that the trip to Martha's Vineyard was voluntary. He did not address the migrants' claims that they were told they were going elsewhere.
An unnamed senior official for the DeSantis administration told NBC the situation is actually "positive" for the migrants.
"These were homeless people that were in a rough situation and undoubtedly had their circumstances improved. In fact, several have already communicated their thanks for the opportunity to go to the sanctuary state," the official said.
Many of the migrants were apparently brought to Florida after crossing the border in Texas. On Monday, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar announced that his office is investigating "individual(s) who lured 48 migrants from the Migrant Resource Center in San Antonio and flown to Martha's Vineyard."
"Somebody came from out of state and preyed upon these people, lured them with promises of a better life, which is what they were absolutely looking for," Salazar said. "They were promised the solution to several of their problems. They were taken to Martha's Vineyard... for little more than a photo op, video op, and then they were unceremoniously stranded."
Salazar went on to say what "infuriates" him the most about this case is that the migrants were "exploited and hoodwinked" by people who knew they would cling to promises of a better life.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried has also requested U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland open an investigation into the flights.
"The use of human beings to score political points is first and foremost detestable. Additionally, this maneuver raises serious legal questions," Fried wrote in a letter. "An investigation is necessary to understand who these immigrants are, how they were transported across state lines, and if their rights were violated."
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