MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS — The 50 illegal immigrants sent from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday are already on their way out of town. Governor Ron DeSantis’ decision to relocate them from Florida to a sanctuary city drew outrage across the country yesterday, with critics decrying it as “human trafficking” and even comparing it to the Holocaust.
Despite its status as a sanctuary city, Martha’s Vineyard kept the new residents in town for less than two full days. On Friday morning, the immigrants were once again relocated, this time by bus to a military base in Cape Cod. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker activated up to 125 members of the National Guard to help secure the transfer.
DEMOCRATS SILENT ON SOLUTIONS
The flight from Florida to Massachusetts was part of the Sunshine State's relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations. Despite voting for the state’s budget that allocated $12 million to fund the program, Democrat lawmakers lambasted the move. DeSantis’ challenger Charlie Crist said the governor was treating the immigrants “like cattle.”
However, Crist and fellow Democrats Raquel Pacheco, Sen. Janet Cruz, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, and Rep. Anna Eskamani all declined to respond to questions from Florida’s Voice about how they would handle the border crisis.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Crist repeatedly refused to provide a direct answer to the question of what he would have done. Instead he harped on the governor and said, “I would do the opposite of what he’s done.” Crist did not elaborate on if he meant that he would fly 50 illegal immigrants from Martha’s Vineyard to Florida.
PRACTICING WHAT THEY PREACH?
Martha’s Vineyard is home to numerous celebrity mansions, including the Obamas’ $12 million pad that was large enough to comfortably host 700 people for the former president’s 60th birthday party. Apparently the 50 immigrants were not welcomed into these spacious homes, which are often vacant much of the year.
Christina Pushaw, DeSantis’ rapid response director, tweeted: “Martha’s Vineyard claims to be a ‘sanctuary’ jurisdiction that welcomes illegal aliens. Most of those multi-million-dollar mansions are summer homes that are vacant most of the year. They can be used to house thousands of illegal migrants. Time to walk the walk, Biden voters.”
It appears at least one Martha’s Vineyard resident agrees with Pushaw. Journalist Aidan Kearney tweeted screenshots from a Martha’s Vineyard Facebook group that revealed residents were unwilling to welcome the immigrants into their homes. One resident called for the community’s actions to match their rhetoric, writing: “We, who voted Democrat, promised our support for a ‘sanctuary state.’ Now the illegal immigrants are being transferred to us because our votes agreed to support them. I can’t understand how anyone can formulate a logical argument as to why we shouldn’t receive these folks.”
