At least 28 members of the Florida Legislature request that both the Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation investigate administratively and criminally the governor of Florida, the Republican Ron DeSantis, for sending immigrants to the island of Martha’s Vineyard.
This is established in two letters sent to both agencies, where they request to focus the use of public resources on the operation that is already being investigated by the Sheriff in San Antonio, Texas, the entity from which the migrants left, who were made to stop in Florida before traveling to the island.
“Immediately launch an investigation into possible violations of civil and criminal rights of federal law based on the use of public money by Governor Ron DeSantis, to traffic and force applicants of asylum to travel from Texas to Massachusetts”, the letter indicates.
On September 14, the governor of Florida “bragged”, say the congressmen, of having airlifted 50 people to Martha’s Vineyard, including families with children.
“According to local reports and interviews with those directly affected, agents acting for the DeSantis Administration traveled to Texas to trick and lure these asylum seekers into boarding buses and planes coordinated by the Governor’s Administration”, accuse the legislators.
They add that the recruiters promised them jobs, a place to live, financial resources and more, but they did not receive those benefits.
“Some migrants reported that they were told they were going to Boston and were surprised when they were unceremoniously dumped on Martha’s Vineyard as cargo and without any support,” the legislators allege.
They add that asylum seekers were given false addresses, which directly interferes with their ability to communicate with federal immigration officials about his asylum request.
They also quoted DeSantis himself, when he said that he made the decision to transport the immigrants, because he “assumed” that they would probably go to Florida.
“The DeSantis Administration and those with whom it worked to implement this act inhumane and potentially illegal crimes must be held accountable, especially as Governor DeSantis says he plans to continue profiling and trafficking asylum seekers who present themselves at the southern border,” said State Representative D. Democrat Anna V. Eskamani (Orlando), .
State Rep. Dotie Joseph (Miami), also a Democrat, said DeSantis’s actions were morally wrong, but warned of possible wrongdoing.
“Not only is all this morally wrong, but there are serious legal concerns about fraud, kidnapping, human trafficking, deprivation of liberty and violations of human and civil rights,” he said. .
Catherine Chen, Executive Director of Polaris, a national organization against human trafficking, indicated that the case of Florida and immigrants was worrying.
“Human trafficking is a complex crime,” he said. “If the migrants were defrauded, and if this fraud was intended to be a vehicle for someone’s material benefit, including an elected official, then there is a case to investigate it as [human] smuggling.”
The affected immigrants sued Ron DeSantis and his government.