On Friday, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis debunked claims from Democrats that the 50 illegal immigrants who were sent to Martha’s Vineyard were “falsely lured” or “enticed” into going.
“I think that’s totally false,” DeSantis said in response to a reporter asking about the claims. “I think if you look, the folks that are contracted, not only do they give them a release form to sign, they actually give them a packet and in that packet included a map of Martha’s Vineyard. So it was obvious that that’s where they were going and they gave that to them.”
“And here’s the thing, it’s all voluntary, because it’s just the type of thing where we think that’s the right way to do it,” DeSantis continued. “I mean, I think that if the states could send, I would send back to Mexico or back to the home country. But here we are doing it voluntarily, they sign a release, and then they get a packet. So they did get a packet that had the map of Martha’s Vineyard. And they’re also treated, you know very well with all this, I mean, they’re treated well with meals and everything.”
DeSantis then addressed a recent discussion on CNN segment during which it was suggested that DeSantis sending 50 illegal immigrants to the vacation spot of Martha’s Vineyard was like the Holocaust.
“I saw somebody on CNN try to say, ‘sending 50 illegal aliens to wealthy Martha’s Vineyard is reminiscent of the Holocaust,’” DeSantis said. “And I just thought to myself, has the world gotten totally mad? I mean, these are voluntary transportation that they’re signing up for, but they’re given a good ride, they’re given everything. And that’s just you know, it’s a humane thing to do.”
“What’s not humane, is what Biden is doing, he’s given a false promise, the border’s open, luring people to come here for political purposes, and then basically cutting these people loose and leaving them high and dry,” DeSantis added. “What he should say is, ‘our border’s not open. You know, there’s ways to apply to come to this country, but just simply barreling across the border is not one of them.’ And I think you can trace all this back to him coming to office and reversing President Trump’s policies, not because Trump’s policies were wrong, it was all just a big virtue signal, because they don’t like Trump. So they have to do everything the opposite of him.”
Notably, the migrants who were sent to Martha’s Vineyard by DeSantis chose to go and were grateful for the transportation. Buried at the end of a report from the left-leaning Washington Post are accounts from some of these migrants.
“Venezuelan migrant Mike Betancourt Vivas was outside the city shelter Saturday, trying find a ride to Washington state. He had crossed the border in Eagle Pass, but never saw the state buses. If he had the option, he said, he would take one,” The Washington Post reported.
“We need a way to get to our destination directly. People here shut the door and don’t give us opportunities, just like other countries, like Panama and Costa Rica,” Betancourt said, according to the Washington Post.
The report explained that Betancourt, who is a 26 year-old construction worker and composer with a wife and two daughters stuck in Colombia, said he does not care about “being a political pawn if it gets him a free ride to Washington.”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “I just want to go.”
"I saw somebody on CNN try to say sending 50 illegal aliens to wealthy Martha's Vineyard is reminiscent of the Holocaust. And I thought to myself, has the world gone totally mad? I mean this is voluntary transportation they're signing up for." – @RonDeSantisFL ???? pic.twitter.com/1A3TqwjpUk
— DeSantis War Room ???? (@DeSantisWarRoom) September 16, 2022
