Bowser's emergency declaration will set aside funding to accommodate migrants as well as create the Office of Migrant Services. The OMS will be tasked with providing temporary accommodations, urgent medical needs, transportation" and other services for migrants.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday flew two planes of immigrants to Martha's Vineyard, escalating a tactic by Republican governors to draw attention to what they consider to be the Biden administration's failed border policies. Flights to the upscale island enclave in Massachusetts were part of an effort to "transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations," said Taryn Fenske, DeSantis' communications director.
While DeSantis' office didn't elaborate on their legal status, many migrants who cross the border illegally from Mexico are temporarily shielded from deportation after being freed by U.S. authorities to pursue asylum in immigration courts — as allowed under U.S. law and international treaty — or released on humanitarian parole.
Carla Bustillos of Sanctuary DMV said they were "at Union Station since 6 in the morning waiting" and "just heard 20 minutes ago that the drop-off was this one."
"We’ve already set up a church and a location — a safe location for them to tell us where they need to go next, where they have relatives," she continued.
The ongoing relocation of incoming illegal border-crossers has become a popular method of protest for southern states overrun with migrants that are feeling ignored by President Biden's administration.
"Town Emergency Management Operations from the six Island towns and the Sheriff's Office, as well as County Management are actively collaborating to develop a coordinated regional response," the statement said, adding "two emergency shelters have been established at local Island churches, with additional space available in case further arrivals occur."
The emergency management teams had "reached out to our State and Federal partners for additional and long term support and assistance."
Texas Governor Greg Abbott began busing thousands of migrants to Washington D.C. in April and recently added New York and Chicago as destinations. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has been busing migrants to Washington since May. Passengers must sign waivers that the free trips are voluntary.
CBS Boston reported that the group of migrants wandered about three and a half miles from the airport to Edgartown, where Barbara Rush, of St. Andrews Church, said "Martha's Vineyard Community Services had 50 people sort of literally walk up to their front door."
CBS News immigration reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez notes that, unlike the other cities Republican governors have chosen as destinations for migrants, Martha's Vineyard is not an urban, metropolitan area with a robust social services infrastructure: There are no large refugee or migrant services organizations on the island. There's no Justice Department immigration court where the migrants can attend asylum hearings. There's no ICE field office where migrants can check in. As it hasn't been a top destination for recent arrivals, the flights will also raise questions about whether all the migrants transported there on Wednesday knew where they were going.
A Twitter user wrote: ", RETWEET if you would like to see the U.S. Department of Justice investigate pro-Trump MAGA-Republican governors Ron DeSantis (FL) and Greg Abbott (TX) for human smuggling and kidnapping after they transported migrants across state lines without their consent as a fundraising ploy."
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