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Martha's Vineyard declares "humanitarian crisis" following arrival of 50 migrants

Last Wednesday DeSantis sparked huge controversy when he sent two planes carrying dozens of immigrants to Martha's Vineyard, the exclusive island where Obama owns a mansion

By Karla Pérez

September 16, 2022 11:42am

Updated: September 16, 2022 3:37pm

The exclusive island of Martha's Vineyard declared a "humanitarian crisis" after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent there 50 immigrants who arrived through the southern border. 

DeSantis sent two planes carrying dozens of Venezuelan immigrants to Martha's Vineyard where the vice president resides, and criticized the Biden administration's policy on border security.

On Wednesday, DeSantis' office sent a statement to the media confirming that the migrants were transported through Florida under a state program that was funded by the legislature earlier this year. The statement reads in part, "States like Massachusetts, New York, and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who have been invited into our country by encouraging illegal immigration."

The group includes seven families, with four children between the ages of three and eight who were transported to local Community Services. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is also expected to intervene.

A homeless coordinator for Harbor Homes on Martha's Vineyard, Lisa Belcastro, said they don't have the resources to help immigrants in the long term and they eventually have to move "somewhere else."

"We don't have the services to take care of 50 immigrants and we certainly don't have housing, even for those who live and work here," he added.

The video interview with Belcastro went viral with more than 2.8 million views and many users commenting that Martha's Vineyard residents are being hypocritical for not being able to deal with barely 50 immigrants when cities in Texas have been dealing with massive influxes of immigrants for years.

In the full interview with the Harbor Homes coordinator, she emphasizes that the immigrants have not asked for assistance and have asked for a job. She also points out that the local community has come together to support them in any way possible. She then went on to criticize DeSantis and said that he was using the immigrants as 'political pawns'.

Although in recent months, especially Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been bussing immigrants to New York and Washington, DC, the summer island is a new destination to which they have not sent people before.

Martha's Vineyard is an island off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, frequented by some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the United States. The island is located in Duke County with a median income of $77,318 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Former President Barack Obama and his family purchased a vacation home on Martha's Vineyard in 2019 for $12 million, according to Business Insider.

Other celebrities with properties on the island include Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Bill and Hillary Clinton, members of the Kennedy family and many others.

Meanwhile, Christina Pushaw, spokeswoman for DeSantis, posted on Twitter a photo showing the mansion of former Democratic President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle with the caption "In this bad boy there is room for many illegal immigrants".

The island is largely liberal and has supported efforts to curb climate change on the island, and in some establishments there are posters in support of refugees and immigration which lead users to consider this was the time to show their solidarity for the migrants. 

Referring to his decision to send Florida immigrants to the island in Duke County, DeSantis said Thursday:

"Our message is we're not a sanctuary state," DeSantis told reporters at an event in North Florida Thursday morning.  

"All those people in D.C. and New York were beating their chest when Trump was President, saying they were so proud to be sanctuary jurisdictions, saying how bad it was to have a secure border. The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they all of the sudden go berserk," DeSantis said. "And they're so upset that this is happening. And it just shows you their virtue signaling is a fraud. They are supporting policies that are just frankly indefensible."

Abbott's office, meanwhile, said his office was not involved in DeSantis' plans. "Our office has had conversations with Governor DeSantis and his team about supporting our busing strategy to provide much-needed relief to our overwhelmed and overrun border communities," the spokesman said.

"Though we were not involved in these initial planes to Martha's Vineyard, we appreciate the support in responding to this national crisis and helping Texans. Governor Abbott encourages and welcomes all his fellow governors to engage in this effort to secure the border and focus on the failing and illegal efforts of the Biden-Harris Administration to continue these reckless open border policies."

Similarly, Abbott had packed other buses this week and moved immigrants around the country, dropping off 100 of them in front of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' mansion in Washington, DC.

Gov. Abbott issued a statement about the immigrants moved to DC and assured that this practice will continue.

"The Biden-Harris Administration continues to ignore and deny the historic crisis on our southern border that has endangered and overwhelmed Texas communities for nearly two years. Harris has yet to visit the border to see firsthand the impact of the open border policies she has helped implement, going so far as to claim the border is 'secure.' Texas will continue to send immigrants to sanctuary cities like Washington, D.C. until President Biden and Harris step up and do their job to secure the border," the governor said.

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