After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew dozens of mostly Venezuelan undocumented migrants to Massachusetts, South Florida immigration activists called it inhumane.
By WLRN – Tim Padgett
Sep 15, 2022
Florida immigrant advocates say they’re “outraged” by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ move on Wednesday to fly undocumented immigrants to Massachusetts – and Venezuelan community leaders are expressing special anger.
DeSantis sent two planes carrying some 50 undocumented migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. It’s part of a program to relocate migrants to Democrat-led states and cities – to protest what Republicans call President Biden’s lax immigration enforcement.
Most of the migrants flown to Massachusetts are Venezuelan. That’s prompted a strong rebuke from Venezuelan community leaders and immigrant advocates in South Florida.
“It’s just of DeSantis’ cruel political stunt show – using human beings,” Adelys Ferro, a Democrat who heads the nonprofit Venezuelan-American Caucus, told WLRN before a press conference in Doral Thursday morning that featured several Venezuelan-Americans and immigration activists.
“He’s using Venezuelans to galvanize his extremist base and to gain points for his run for the presidential elections.”
Ferro added it’s “hypocritical” of GOP politicians to curry votes in the Venezuelan exile community by condemning the socialist dictatorship in Venezuela that so many thousands of Venezuelan refugees are fleeing, “only to turn around and then show, like this, that they really don’t want Venezuelans here.”
Venezuelan-American María Corina Vegas of the American Business Immigration Coaltion said it was “shameless” of DeSantis and Republicans “to traumatize Venezuelan migrant families instead of acknowledging that they make Florida’s economy stronger.”
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Read More: WLRN – Venezuelan migrant advocates blast DeSantis’ ‘cruel political stunt;’ he calls complaints ‘a fraud’
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