Martha's Vineyard Community Services staff learned the group of Venezuelan migrants had been put on a plane with nothing but a brochure from the island's service center.
State Rep. Dylan Fernandes, whose district includes Martha's Vineyard, speaks on Thursday about the migrants who were flown to the island Wednesday.Editor's note: This story has been updated to add new information and comments from public officials.
The 50 men, women and children are believed to be from Venezuela or nearby countries. Foxnews.com reported Wednesday that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent two planes full of migrants to Martha's Vineyard as part of his"promise to drop off undocumented migrants in progressive states." “We take what's happening at the southern border very seriously, unlike some, and unlike the President of the United States who has refused to lift the finger to secure that border,” he said, noting the record number of people and drugs transiting across the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.
Fifty or so men, women and children who had spent the night on church property after arriving Wednesday at the Martha's Vineyard Airport on one-way flights on chartered planes walked between the church and the parish house. At 10 a.m. Thursday, officials were still trying to get all the information about the migrants, where they came from, what airplane company delivered them unannounced on Wednesday, and what the next steps would be. Lisa Belcastro, the director the homeless shelter on Martha's Vineyard, said there were 50 refugees, and it was her understanding they came on two planes. But she hadn't seen the manifesto from the airport.
Another Vineyard resident who didn't want his name used said the United States should help the countries where immigrants are coming from. The man was a retired physician who came by to check the medical status of the refugees, he said. He said the borders need to be secure, but that the incident was one where federal laws were violated.More than 5 million Venezuela residents have been displaced, according to United Nations estimates.
"I can tell you our population grew by 50% since the last census," Fernandes said."I don't think any state has grown by 50% on the Southern border. In terms of actual land area density, its probably a higher density here." The migrants thought to be from Venezuela were flown by a chartered aircraft from Florida and/or Texas.
and asked for volunteers to help with what they described as “an unexpected ongoing urgent humanitarian situation.” Cooper, head of the Democratic Council of Martha's Vineyard, said,"It is disgusting and repulsive that these people were herded like cattle onto a plane, not told where they were going and our community was not notified. This is not a joke, this is insanely ridiculous."
that West Tisbury Town Administrator Jennifer Rand told selectmen, at their meeting late Wednesday afternoon, that only one plane had landed but more are expected. She and other officials were not sure where the plane or planes had originated.
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