Vineyard migrants moved to Cape Cod
Sent to military base; had no idea where they were going on plane
Migrants shipped from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard this week were moved Friday to a military base on Cape Cod, which Gov. Charlie Baker said is better equipped to meet their housing, food and basic needs.
Baker said the move to a temporary shelter at Joint Base Cape Cod will be voluntary for the Venezuelan immigrants who were flown to the island community Wednesday on the orders of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“We are grateful to the providers, volunteers and local officials that stepped up on Martha’s Vineyard over the past few days to provide immediate services to these individuals,” Baker said in a statement.
“Our administration has been working across state government to develop a plan to ensure these individuals will have access to the services they need going forward, and Joint Base Cape Cod is well-equipped to serve these needs,” he added.
Baker said he plans to activate 125 members of the Massachusetts National
Guard to aid in the humanitarian response.
Individuals and families will be housed in dormitory-style spaces at the military base in Cape Cod, a MEMA-designated emergency shelter that also provided refuge for Louisiana residents fleeing the impacts of Hurricane Katrina.
Families will not be separated, Baker said.
A Massachusetts state senator who spoke with the migrants, Julian Cyr, D-Truro, told the Herald Thursday that just under 50 people were in a shelter in San Antonio when they were approached and offered housing, job search assistance and a plane ride to Boston.
Cyr said one woman told him she felt like she was kidnapped, and the people he spoke with noted they had no idea where they were going when they stepped onto the plane. He likened the situation to human trafficking.
The migrants’ unexpected arrival drew a swift response from Martha’s Vineyard residents, local and state officials, who worked together to create temporary shelter and provide necessities in a “moment of urgent need,” Baker said.
U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins told reporters Thursday her office is looking into how DeSantis sent the apparent asylum seekers to Martha’s Vineyard from Texas without notifying the state government or officials on the island.
The AP reported the governors of Texas and Arizona have sent thousands of migrants on buses to New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., in recent months.
DeSantis said the two flights to Martha’s Vineyard, paid for by Florida, were part of an effort to “transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.” “While Wednesday’s arrival on Martha’s Vineyard was unexpected, the extraordinary response was not,” Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy said in a statement.
“The work of so many state and local partners exemplify the best values of our commonwealth, providing safe shelter, food and care for individuals that had been through a long, harrowing journey.”
MEMA is coordinating with state agencies and nonprofits to ensure the immigrants have access to a broad range of services, including legal, health care, food and other needs.