After dozens of migrants arrived in Martha’s Vineyard near Cape Cod, some described grueling journeys to the U.S. and feelings of uncertainty after becoming part of a national spectacle.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took credit for flying the group of about 50 to the liberal enclave, part of an escalating battle between Republican governors and the White House over immigration.
Carlos Muños said he journeyed from Venezuela to give his four-year-old son the things he didn’t have — a meaningful education, the freedom to express his opinions without fear of persecution, a job where he can earn enough money to afford food.
Muños, who was studying electrical engineering before Venezuela’s economic collapse halted his studies, said he wants to go back to school and dreams that his son will also go to college some day.
“I want peace,” he said. “Tranquility.”
Muños is among a group of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, who arrived unexpectedly in Martha’s Vineyard after DeSantis chartered two flights. It’s the latest in a string of moves by GOP governors meant to surprise Democratic strongholds with large influxes of migrants.
As DeSantis vowed on Friday to continue the program, it has drawn a firestorm of criticism from opponents, including President Joe Biden, who accused DeSantis of “playing politics with human beings, using them as props.”
Everlides Dela Hoz, a mother and grandmother, recalled the grueling journey to the U.S. during which she saw people in her group of travelers die from heart attacks, drowning and a snake bite.
After finding themselves in Martha’s Vineyard, many expressed feelings of uncertainty as they wondered what may come next for them. Others, promised jobs and housing, felt lied to.
“When we got on the plane, they told us they would give us jobs, a place to live, everything,” Dela Hoz said through a translator. “The whole group is pretty upset. But they did take us to a nice place.”
“I simply feel misled because they told a lie and it has come to nothing,” Pedro Luis Torrelaba, 36, said Friday.