Driving the news: DeSantis insists the flights were voluntary. However, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said in an emailed statement that it “opened an investigation into the immigrants who were lured away from the Immigrant Resource Center” in the county, where San Antonio is located. Photo: Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar/Twitter
They were then airlifted to Florida, “where they were eventually left to fend for themselves on Martha’s Vineyard,” according to the release. The sheriff’s office said it is “working with private attorneys representing the victims and advocacy groups while “preparing to work with any federal agencies having concurrent jurisdiction if the need arises.”
Notable: Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a news conference that it was unclear if any laws were broken, but the migrants were “lured under false pretenses” to stay in a hotel before being flown to Florida and then Massachusetts.
He said he “promised them the solution to several of their problems,” including work. Attorneys for some of the Venezuelan immigrants who flew to Martha’s Vineyard told Axios they were given misleading brochures promising “up to 8 months of cash assistance,” employment services and housing “at some point during their deportation and relocation from Texas and Florida. ”
The big picture: DeSantis last week joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in ferrying immigrants and asylum seekers by bus and plane to mostly Democratic-run cities as they challenge President Biden’s immigration policies. What they say: DeSantis told Fox News’ “Hannity” Monday night that the migrants had volunteered to go on the flights and “all the consent forms signed to go.” They were given “a package that had a map of Martha’s Vineyard” and contact numbers for immigration and refugee services, he said.
DeSantis’ representatives said in a statement earlier: “Immigrants were more than willing to leave Bexar County after being abandoned, homeless and ‘left to fend for themselves.’ The statement added that “Florida gave them an opportunity to seek greener pastures in a sanctuary jurisdiction that offered them greater resources, as we expected.”
Go deeper… DeSantis: Florida will continue to relocate immigrants with state funds Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
