The nearly 50 migrants that were flown to Martha’s Vineyard by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last month are now qualified to obtain special visas, according to the Hill.
Bexar County sheriff Javier Salazar certified that the group of Venezuelan migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard were victims of a crime which qualifies them for U visas. These types of visas grant crime victims nonimmigrant status in the U.S. to ensure that they are available as witnesses during investigations or trials.
Salazar submitted the certification documents on Thursday so the migrants could apply for U visas.
Salazar, who opened an investigation into the stunt almost immediately, told Massachusetts news station WGBH that his office is investigating the case as unlawful restraint.
“Based upon the claims of migrants being transported from Bexar County under false pretenses, we are investigating this case as possible Unlawful Restraint,” Salazar said in a statement. “We have submitted documentation through the federal system to ensure the migrants’ availability as witnesses during the investigation.”
The migrants were lured onto the flights with false promises of jobs and housing.
Attorneys representing the migrants have filed a class action lawsuit against DeSantis alleging that they were given misleading information.
“These immigrants, who are pursuing the proper channels for lawful immigration status in the United States, experienced cruelty akin to what they fled in their home country,” the suit says. “Defendants manipulated them, stripped them of their dignity, deprived them of their liberty, bodily autonomy, due process and equal protection under law, and impermissibly interfered with the Federal Government’s exclusive control over immigration in furtherance of an unlawful goal and a personal political agenda.”
