Status: 09/21/2022 10:54 a.m
Florida governor DeSantis had migrants brought from Texas to the posh resort island of Martha’s Vineyard. Some of them are now suing the Republicans for making false promises.
About 50 Venezuelan migrants have filed a class action lawsuit in a Massachusetts court. In it, they accuse Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, of using them for his own “illegal purposes” and “political interests.” They’re asking for damages.
A resort as a protest against the government
DeSantis chartered planes and buses last week to bring migrants to the resort island of Martha’s Vineyard and Washington.
Martha’s Vineyard is known as a posh vacation spot, Democratic US Presidents from John F. Kennedy to Bill Clinton to Barack Obama spent their summer vacations there.
Allegedly promised apartments and jobs
The migrants were lured with promises that turned out to be lies upon arrival – such as the prospect of housing and jobs, according to the migrants and the organization Alianza Americas, which campaigns for the rights of immigrants.
DeSantis later assumed responsibility for the flights from the state of Texas via Florida to the island off the coast of Massachusetts. The Republican is considered a possible presidential candidate in the 2024 election.
DeSantis claimed they were chosen because they originally wanted to come to Florida from Texas.
US government: “Inhumane action”
The plaintiffs fled socialist-ruled Venezuela in a desperate attempt “to protect themselves and their families from gang, police and state-sponsored violence and the repression of political dissidents,” the class-action lawsuit says. They deserved just as much dignity and compassion as anyone else.
In the United States, they “experienced atrocities similar to those they had fled in their home country.” With his action, DeSantis also violated the exclusive jurisdiction of the US government. Alianza Americas estimates the cost of the charter flight at $615,000.
The US government had sharply criticized the procedure and described it as “inhuman”. The Democratic Bexar County Police Commissioner said: “I think someone came from outside of our state and preyed on these people and lured them with promises of a better life.”
More actions announced
DeSantis announced that there should be further actions. Other Republican governors had also sent large numbers of migrants to democratic regions of the country in recent months – in protest against the migration policy of the government of President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, for example, had two buses full of migrants brought near the residence of US Vice President Kamala Harris in the capital Washington.
Migrants as a pawn in the election campaign
For months, the opposition Republicans have been accusing President Biden of taking too lax a course in migration policy and securing the border with Mexico – and are also using the topic in the election campaign. The Republicans hope to take over the Senate and House of Representatives from the Democrats in the November elections. There are also new elections in some states – DeSantis is fighting for re-election.
Meanwhile, confusion reigned over another flight similarly scheduled to bring migrants from Texas to the state of Delaware. Biden likes to spend his weekends in the state not far from Washington.
By early evening, however, the plane had still not landed at the small Georgetown Airport. According to the flight tracking website, the plane had changed course, flying first to Nashville and then to New Jersey.
Texas sheriff opens investigation into migrant flights
Nina Barth, ARD Washington, September 20, 2022 11:10 a.m