Florida Governor Ron DeSantis flown two planes carrying migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts yesterday. He is taking the tactics of Republican governors to the extreme, drawing attention to US President Joe Biden’s border policy, which they believe has failed, and bringing migrants into democratic areas.
“Florida can confirm that the two planes carrying illegal immigrants that arrived in Martha’s Vineyard today were part of the state’s relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to safe havens,” said Taryn Fenske, DeSantis chief communications officer.
“Move Heaven and Earth”
The migrants, including children, arrived without any warning yesterday, Massachusetts Senator Julian Cyr said. Officials and volunteers then “moved heaven and earth” to take action “like we would take in the event of a hurricane,” he said.
The migrants received food and clothing and were tested for CoV. Martha’s Vineyard is a resort town and traditional summer destination for stars and has a population of only around 20,000.
“The residents of Martha’s Vineyard should be excited about this. They stand up for shelter towns – now they get their own shelter town. And immigrants will increase the city’s diversity, which is a strength. Right?” wrote Christina Pushaw, a spokeswoman for DeSantis’ reelection campaign, on Twitter.
War of Attitudes
Sanctuary cities are states and communities that don’t adhere to strict federal immigration guidelines and have policies to support undocumented immigrants – much to the chagrin of Republicans.
The border states of Texas and Arizona have already sent thousands of immigrants to New York, Chicago and Washington. Last week, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public emergency.