MIAMI.- Once again the eyes of the country rest on Florida after a prosecutor from Massachusetts asked the US attorney general’s office to become involved in its investigation into a flight carried out in September of last year, which sent 49 immigrants from Texas to the island of Martha’s Vineyard.
In his request, District Attorney Robert Galibois wrote that “published information indicates that the initiative was born in Florida, launched in Texas, appeared briefly in South Carolina and North Carolina, and concluded in Massachusetts on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.” ,
The request to US Attorney General Merrick Garland comes a month after California officials made a similar request in response to a series of migrant flights to Sacramento, which were also reportedly organized by the Florida government.
Galibois, a Democrat who was elected Cape and Islands district attorney in 2022, said his office’s investigations show that after the September 2022 flight landed on Martha’s Vineyard, interviews were conducted with most of the migrants in Spanish.
“My initial request is that the Department of Justice assist our office in obtaining certified translations and transcripts of these interviews,” Galibois said.
To which he added: “These interviews, along with other evidence obtained, would provide crucial support for my initial assessment of whether further investigation is warranted.”
The transfer of immigrants from Texas to Massachusetts, mostly Venezuelans, sparked a strong reaction among Democratic leaders in Florida, immigrant advocacy groups and members of the Hispanic community in the Sunshine State.
The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, did not hide what happened and said days later that “it is better to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction, and yes, we will help facilitate that transport so that they can go to ‘greener pastures.'”
In a class action lawsuit, the migrants argued that Florida government employees “made false promises” that if they were willing to board planes to other states, they would receive jobs, housing, educational opportunities and other assistance.
Months later, the Florida Department of Emergency Management claimed responsibility in June for transporting more than 30 immigrants to Sacramento, California, on charter flights.
California public officials also called for an investigation in early July, arguing that “recruiters tricked” immigrants into taking flights with promises of “jobs and shelter.”
