“I wanted to live in Washington, but it didn’t turn out the way I wanted,” he said. “God put me here for a reason. We’re going to fly to Boston.”
Lisa Belcastro, who volunteers at an emergency shelter, said it has been a massive community effort to care for the new arrivals.
“So we…we have refugees from Venezuela, who have…they arrived at Martha’s Vineyard. No one knew they were coming. And so there was a massive community effort to provide them with housing and facilities. care and all… any legal advice that we can… that we can give them.”
Wednesday’s two flights carried about 50 migrants, mostly Venezuelans, a Martha’s Vineyard airport official said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is up for re-election in November and is considered a possible presidential contender in 2024, took credit for the two flights, which departed from San Antonio, Texas, and stopped Florida to get to Martha’s Vineyard.
The White House and residents of the vacation enclave have called the move a “political stunt,” as DeSantis joins Republican governors in Texas and Arizona in sending migrants north. The governors have sought to underscore the differences between the two parties on immigration policy and shift the burden of immigration support to Democratic regions.
A Venezuelan migrant who arrived at Martha’s Vineyard identified himself as Luis, 27, and said he and nine family members were promised a flight to Massachusetts, as well as shelter, support for 90 days, help with work permits and English lessons. He said they were surprised when their flight landed on an island.
He said the pledges came from a woman who gave her name as “Perla” who approached her family on the street outside a San Antonio shelter after they crossed into Mexico and were told by US border officials. released with an immigration court date.
He said the woman, who also put them up at a hotel, did not provide a surname or affiliation, but asked them to sign a liability waiver.
“We are scared,” he said, adding that he and the others felt like they had been lied to. “I hope they will help us.”
Residents of Martha’s Vineyard stepped up to help disoriented migrants and offered accommodation at St. Andrews Episcopal Church.
Martha’s Vineyard is best known as a summer retreat populated mostly by affluent liberal Americans, including former President Barack Obama, a Democrat who owns a multimillion-dollar vacation home there.