Texas’ Democratic sheriff has taken steps to allow at least some of the migrants airlifted to Martha’s Vineyard a year and a half ago to remain in the United States for the time being.
In September 2022, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis arrested nearly 50 immigrants who briefly stopped in the state after crossing into the United States from Texas, including six of Florida’s wealthiest and most exclusive towns. Sent to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.Adopted by America and other countries conservation policy The illegal immigration case a few years ago.
now, at least 3 Some of the immigrants have been granted a “good decision” that allows them to work legally in the United States while they wait for a U visa. The U visa stands for U nonimmigrant status visa, which is given to some undocumented immigrants who are “victims of crime” but who assist “law enforcement or government officials in investigating or prosecuting criminal activity.” Ta. Website For U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Because U visas can eventually lead to permanent residence and even citizenship, the federal government limits the number of U visas issued to 10,000 per year.
One of the prerequisites for obtaining a U visa is that an “authorized official” of a law enforcement agency must tell the immigrant that the immigrant is “useful and [is] Currently useful or likely to be useful in investigation or prosecution [a] This incident,” USCIS noted.
Sheriff Javier Salazar of Bexar County, Texas, is one such certified law enforcement officer. Shortly after the immigrants were airlifted to Martha’s Vineyard, Salazar, a Democrat with identity politics, boasted On taking “actions against government overreach against women and minorities,” he held a press conference in which he accused DeSantis of committing “human rights violations.” However, as Blaze News previously reported, at the time he could not identify which criminal law DeSantis violated.
Salazar quickly changed his tone, insisting that DeSantis and others persuaded immigrants to agree to fly to Martha’s Vineyard under false pretenses, and asked Bexar County prosecutors to charge him with both a felony and a misdemeanor count of unlawful restraint. began to put pressure on. Such migrants were “exploited and tricked into making this trip,” Salazar claimed.
So far, the Bexar DA’s office has not moved to charge anyone in connection with the Martha’s Vineyard flight. Nevertheless, Salazar acknowledged that some of the immigrants cooperated with his office’s investigation into the flights, thereby qualifying them for U visas.
Governor DeSantis has long defended his decision to allow immigrants from Florida to move to Massachusetts. “The immigrants were willing to leave Bexar County after being abandoned, homeless, and ‘left to fend for themselves,'” a statement from DeSantis’ representatives released at the time read in part. “it is written like this. “Florida has given them the opportunity to seek greener pastures within protected areas that provide them with more resources, just as we had hoped.”
But a Massachusetts judge appears to want to go after at least some of the people who took part in the Martha’s Vineyard flight. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Alison Burroughs dismissed DeSantis and his associates from a lawsuit brought by some immigrants, saying that Bartle Systems, which arranged the flights, “specifically targeted Latino immigrants.” He argued that he should be held accountable. ”
“Bartle participated in a scheme to recruit vulnerable people through deception so that he could unwillingly and publicly use them as props in a highly polarized national debate,” Burrows wrote.
Mr. DeSantis did not respond. miami heraldhas requested comment on the latest developments in this case.
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