The Venezuelan migrants who were flown from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, in Massachusetts, by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis almost two years ago, have been cleared to sue the charter company that took them there.
According to The Associated Press, the migrants can proceed with their suit against Florida-based Vertol Systems Co. Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, said the ruling shows that private companies can be held accountable for helping states through actions that, he said, violate the rights of vulnerable immigrants.
"Unlike ICE agents legitimately enforcing the country's immigration laws ... the Court sees no legitimate purpose for rounding up highly vulnerable individuals on false pretenses and publicly injecting them into a divisive national debate," the court said in a passage of its ruling.
The document also mentions DeSantis, but the court said it does not have jurisdiction over whether he can be sued or not.
Nonetheless, his administration reacted to the ruling, saying the flights were "conducted lawfully and authorized by the Florida legislature." Julia Friedland, the deputy press secretary for DeSantis, added that the administration "looks forward to Florida's next illegal immigrant relocation flight, and we are glad to bring national attention to the crisis at the southern border."
The event garnered national attention as it took everyone but Florida authorities by surprise. Migrants said they were never told they'd be taken to Martha's Vineyard, nor its residents had any prior notice.
Different reports showed that, in June, DeSantis unveiled a $12 million budget to create a program to remove undocumented migrants from Florida. However, a substantial portion of the money was used to fly the Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Massachusetts.
State records show that Vertol Systems was initially paid over $600,000 for the flights and later another $950,000 for "projects 1, 2 and 3."
The New York Times reported that Texas Governor Greg Abbott was not aware of the initiative either, and that a woman with experience in military counterintelligence, Perla Huerta, was sent from Tampa to Texas to fill the planes.
According to their statements, migrants were told by Huerta that they were being taken to a location with jobs and bought them meals and accommodation before the flight. They were also given a folder with a map with an arrow between Texas and Massachusetts and a brochure, allegedly false, that read "benefits for migrant refugees." The brochure also promised "up to eight months of cash assistance" to those "eligible due to level of income."
Once taken to Martha's Vineyard, the migrants were taken to a community center and told to knock, but the woman who opened it didn't know who they were and didn't speak Spanish. Most migrants ended sleeping in an air base and left to other places a few days later. At least four stayed and lived there for at least a year.
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