An immigrant from Venezuela, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions in his immigration case, shared images of the flyer. They said the immigrants were told the pamphlet had information about the help they would receive in Massachusetts, but were not told about the differences in programs for refugees and asylum seekers. Migrants are, in many cases, asylum seekers and not refugees. Refugees apply for protection abroad and are admitted through the refugee admissions program, while asylum seekers apply within the United States. The asylum seekers, who local officials believe are originally from Venezuela, arrived in Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday, flying from Texas following arrangements made by Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis. De Santis, who is up for re-election this year, said he wanted to draw attention to the border crisis. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — another Republican running for re-election — has flown thousands of migrants to New York and Washington, D.C., throughout the summer to also highlight his criticism of the Biden administration’s immigration policies. DeSantis’ move was strongly denounced by the White House, Democratic officials and immigration advocates who say immigrants were misled about their final destination. At a news conference Friday, DeSantis said everyone signed waivers and knew where they were going. “It’s obvious that’s where they were going,” he said, adding, “it’s all voluntary.”
“Massachusetts welcomes you”
The flyer, which has now been posted online by the legal team representing many of the cases, includes a photo of what appears to be a road sign reading “Massachusetts Welcomes You” and a photo of a nondescript lighthouse. It also provides a brief summary of what resettlement services can do for refugees, in both English and Spanish.
The flyer also lists the phone number for the Massachusetts Office of Refugees and Immigrants, which told CNN that this is not a document released by their office.
The front includes an image of the state of Massachusetts and a list of community service agencies located on Martha’s Vineyard and at least one on Cape Cod.
The directory includes the number for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services — which eventually took the migrants in and helped them find initial housing at a church on the island.
Oren Sellstrom, the director of litigation for the Boston Civil Rights Lawyers, which represents many of the immigrants, said his clients left Texas expecting everything promoted in the pamphlet to await them once they landed.
Lawyers are investigating the origin of the pamphlets, when they were given to immigrants and why, according to the group.
DeSantis again defended sending the immigrants to Massachusetts during an interview with Fox News on Monday night, saying, “The vendor that does this for Florida gave them a package that had a map of Martha’s Vineyard. It had the numbers. for different agencies in Martha’s Vineyard, and then had numbers for the overall agencies in Massachusetts that handle immigration and refugee issues.”
It was not clear if he was referring to the leaflet in question.
Two of the migrants previously told CNN that while in San Antonio, they decided to go on the trip after two women and a man approached them on the streets near an immigrant resource center.
One of the migrants, Wilmer Villazana, said he was put up in a hotel for five days before the flights and well taken care of. The women told him they were from Orlando and worked for private organizations that raise funds to help immigrants, Villazana said.
Most immigrants are not eligible for programs listed in the brochure
“The type of program being discussed here is not something that would typically be available to any immigrant,” Sellstrom explained. “It is very misleading in the sense that it was used to entice our customers to travel under the pretense that this support was available, when in fact, the program type has very specific eligibility.” Most of the immigrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard have been processed by federal authorities and will go through immigration proceedings where an immigration judge will ultimately decide whether they can remain in the United States. Given their status as asylum seekers and not refugees, they are probably not entitled to the benefits listed in the leaflet. Refugees are entitled to benefits available to them through the federal government, including cash assistance and medical assistance. Generally, asylum seekers are not eligible for federally funded benefits, although once they are granted asylum, they may receive some assistance. Migrants continue to receive humanitarian services at Joint Base Cape Cod after Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s office voluntarily moved them there, activating more than 100 National Guardsmen in the overall effort. U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachel Rollins told reporters Thursday that she will speak with members of the Justice Department about Gov. DeSantis sending the immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard.
