Immigrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are now advancing on their path to citizenship thanks to a visa reserved for those who help authorities investigate crimes.
DeSantis, who was considering running for president at the time, arranged for 49 immigrants to be airlifted to the wealthy island off Massachusetts in 2022.
The immigrants were sent from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard and said they were promised job and housing opportunities. That led the Bexar County sheriff to open a criminal investigation.
Immigration attorney Rachel M. Self said The Boston Globe Immigrants who cooperated with the sheriff were able to apply for U nonimmigrant status and three of them have since received “good faith determinations” this week.
‘These determinations are one more step towards justice. [They] “This further underscores that anyone who knows all the facts simply cannot ignore the criminality of the actors,” Self said.
Migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022 receive visas reserved for people helping with criminal investigations.
The migrants were promised job and housing opportunities, prompting the Bexar County sheriff to open a criminal investigation.
U nonimmigrant status, known as the U visa, is reserved for victims of certain crimes who have suffered physical or mental abuse and are useful to authorities or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity, according to US Citizenship and Services. of immigration.
Immigrants who are granted a U visa are eligible to work in the United States and can then apply for a Green Card after holding a U visa for three years.
There is a limit of 10,000 on the number of U visas issued each year and there are thousands of applicants on the waiting list.
“This is a harm reduction provision,” Hemanth C. Gundavaram, co-founder and director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at Northeastern University School of Law, told The Globe.
“If you didn’t have these protections, someone would have to stay here, worry about deportation and not be able to make a living.”
Immigrants from Martha’s Vineyard were eligible to apply for U visas after Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, a Democrat, certified that they were victims of a crime, he reported. The Miami Herald.
In June, Salazar recommended that the Bexar County District Attorney file criminal charges for deception tactics, however, no charges have been filed.
U nonimmigrant status, known as the U visa, is reserved for crime victims who assist with police investigations.
Three of the migrants received ‘good faith determinations’ this week after Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, a Democrat, certified that they were victims of a crime.
“The Bexar County Attorney’s inaction in this matter is troubling and cannot be understated,” Self told The Herald.
“Anyone who knows all the facts, anyone who has seen all the evidence, simply cannot ignore the crimes that were perpetrated in this case.”
On April 1, DeSantis was dismissed from a class-action lawsuit filed by immigrants that alleged the governor “designed and executed a premeditated, fraudulent and illegal scheme focused on exploiting [the migrants] for the sole purpose of promoting their own personal, financial and political interests.’
The U.S. District Court of Massachusetts said in its ruling that it does not have jurisdiction over DeSantis in this case.
While DeSantis has been removed, the immigrants can still sue Florida-based Vertol Systems Co., the charter company that transported them to the island off the coast of Massachusetts.
The court found that the facts of the case “taken together, support the inference that Vertol and the other defendants specifically targeted plaintiffs because they were Latino immigrants.”
The DeSantis administration took note that the judges’ order dismissed the state defendants.
On April 1, DeSantis was dismissed from a class-action lawsuit filed by migrants.
The migrants can still sue Florida-based Vertol Systems Co., the charter company that transported them to the island.
“As we have always said, the flights were conducted legally and were authorized by the Florida Legislature,” Julia Friedland, DeSantis’ deputy press secretary, said in a statement.
“We look forward to Florida’s next illegal immigrant relocation flight and are pleased to bring national attention to the crisis at the southern border.”
The court also said that “unlike ICE agents who legitimately enforce the country’s immigration laws… the Court sees no legitimate purpose for arresting highly vulnerable individuals under false pretenses and publicly inserting them into a divisive national debate.” “.
Florida’s governor threatened to send Haitian immigrants to leafy Democratic enclaves in the north, such as Martha’s Vineyard, as gang warfare engulfs the embattled Caribbean nation in March.
“Haitians land in the Florida Keys, their next stop could very well be Martha’s Vineyard,” DeSantis told podcaster Dana Loesch.