‘Playing With Human Lives’: Texas Sheriff Opens Probe Into DeSantis’ Martha’s Vineyard Flights

Southern states have long been critical of Biden’s “open” border policies. Some states, including Texas and Arizona, have sent busloads of migrants to sanctuary cities around the country. Monday, a Texas sheriff opened an investigation into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ controversial transport of nearly 50 migrants to Massachusetts’ Martha’s Vineyard.

During a news briefing, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar stated that the migrant group, composed of individuals mostly from Venezuela, was “lured” from a resource center in Bexar County, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard without notifying officials in either locale.

Salazar further revealed that one Venezuelan migrant had been paid to recruit others for the trip with the promise of work, as well as gift cards to fast food restaurants upon landing in Washington, DC or Boston.

“They were taken to Martha’s Vineyard for, from what we can gather, for little more than a photo op, video op and then they were unceremoniously stranded in Martha’s Vineyard,” he said, adding that the investigation would be looking into an “abuse of human rights.”

“Somebody saw fit to come from another state, hunt them down, prey upon them, and then take advantage of their desperate situation just for the sake of political theater, just for the sake of making a statement,” Salazar continued. “I believe people need to be held accountable for it to the extent possible.”

Salazar didn’t immediately provide details about specific statutes DeSantis’ move violated but vowed to investigate the event to the fullest extent. “When you’re playing with human lives, that does tend to bother me quite a bit,” the sheriff underscored.

DeSantis, widely expected to be among the favorites in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, has been blasted for the “reckless stunt” by Democrats - including US President Joe Biden - who saw the move as a “desperate situation” for the sake of political clout.

Florida Democrats recently spoke out against DeSantis’ use of funding to transport migrants, with incoming Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, who is also a lawyer, claiming that DeSantis “overstepped his authority.”

State records show the Florida Department of Transportation paid $615,000 for the “relocation of unauthorized aliens.”

Migrants File Class-Action Lawsuit

Amid fallout over the flights, which were funded by a $12 million budget approved by the state of Florida to redirect migrants to sanctuary states, a class-action lawsuit was filed Tuesday against DeSantis and Florida Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the relocated migrants by the nonprofit group Alianza Americas and law firm Lawyers for Civil Rights. Oscar Chacon, who serves as the executive director of the nonprofit group, told NPR that the “morally reprehensible action” served as a means to “advance a hate-filled agenda.”

Aside from detailing how migrants were transported, the legal filing argues that the relocations violated the group’s Fourth Amendment rights and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It further calls for a judge to brand the migrant flights as illegal under the US Constitution and both state and federal laws.

“Defendants manipulated them, stripped them of their dignity, deprived them of their liberty, bodily autonomy, due process and equal protection under law, and impermissibly interfered with the Federal Government’s exclusive control over immigration in furtherance of an unlawful goal and a personal political agenda,” reads the filing.

The Florida governor responded to the suit late Tuesday, with spokesperson Taryn Fenske calling the filing "political theater" put forward by "opportunistic activists." A document provided to Fox News also suggested that migrants transported to Martha's Vineyard had been provided with a consent form before boarding.

DeSantis’ move escalates similar efforts to protest the Biden administration border policies by members of the Republican party, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has bused individuals to the nation’s capital, New York City, and Chicago.