For some time, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been touted as promoting Trumpism without the baggage of Donald Trump. But his decision to herd 50 migrants onto a plane and dump them in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, proves what should have been clear since his reckless approach to the COVID-19 epidemic won him the nickname “DeathSantis.” After Wednesday, it is now clear that the only substantive difference between Trump and DeSantis is skin tone.
But if a report from NPR is to be believed, there’s another dimension to this situation. As cruel and inhumane as it was, it may have also been illegal. Several of the migrants claimed they got on the plane after being told employment papers would be waiting for them—in Boston.
NPR’s Joel Rose revealed that when he spoke to some of the migrants, they were told that when they were waiting in San Antonio, a woman told them that if they got on the plane, it would be a lot easier for them to find jobs in their new country.
The migrants said a woman they identified as "Perla" approached them outside the shelter and lured them into boarding the plane, saying they would be flown to Boston where they could get expedited work papers. She provided them with food. The migrants said Perla was still trying to recruit more passengers just hours before their flight.
Andres Duarte, a 30-year-old Venezuelan, said he had recently crossed the border into Texas and eventually went to a shelter in San Antonio.
"She (Perla) offered us help. Help that never arrived," Andres said. "Now we are here. We got on the plane with a vision of the future, of making it." He went on to explain why he boarded the plane with so little information in hand. "Look, when you have no money and someone offers help, well, it means a lot."
Rose told NPR’s “Morning Edition” that “Perla” also put up some of the migrants at a hotel in San Antonio before the flight.
This is so outrageously criminal that it’s impossible to point out where to start. “If they were coerced into consenting in a language they didn’t understand, or were deliberately misled, they or Massachusetts officials could charge Texas state officials responsible for fraud — or perhaps even kidnapping, depending on how they were coerced into boarding the transport,” Susan Akram, a professor at the Boston University School of Law, explained in an email to Rolling Stone. Whatever it is, the scenario spelled out by these immigrants would be illegal as all hell if true.