Gov. Charlie Baker (R-MA) announced that he plans to activate up to 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to care for approximately 50 immigrants at Martha’s Vineyard.
The immigrants will be taken to the Joint Base Cape Cod military base, where they will be given new shelter and humanitarian support. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is coordinating efforts with state and local officials to ensure access to food, shelter, and essential services are available for the immigrants, a press release from Baker’s office read.
“We are grateful to the providers, volunteers and local officials that stepped up on Martha’s Vineyard over the past few days to provide immediate services to these individuals,” said Baker. “Our Administration has been working across state government to develop a plan to ensure these individuals will have access to the services they need going forward, and Joint Base Cape Cod is well equipped to serve these needs.”
AOC TELLS GREG ABBOTT HE SHOULD ‘CONSIDER’ RETIRING AFTER BUSING IMMIGRANTS TO DC
Several buses arrived near Martha’s Vineyard on Friday morning to transport the immigrants sent via plane by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on Wednesday to another location. Some immigrants claimed they did not know where they were going on these new buses but were told it would be somewhere safe, according to NBC10 Boston.
Buses have arrived to transport the migrants from Martha’s Vineyard. I just spoke with two men who traveled together who said they don’t know where they are headed but we’re told it would be somewhere safe and with more room. @NBC10Boston pic.twitter.com/cVGlkpfyto
— Bianca Beltrán (@BiancaNBCBoston) September 16, 2022
The Washington Examiner has contacted Baker’s office for confirmation on whether these buses are a part of the governor’s relocation of the immigrants.
The move by DeSantis appeared to be part of efforts from Republican states to bring increased attention to the migrant crisis, most notably seen by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has bused immigrants to the Democratic-run cities of New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. During a Thursday press conference, DeSantis claimed that Florida is “not a sanctuary state.”
Abbott’s most recent move saw him approve two busloads of immigrants to be dropped off by a Metro bus stop in Washington near Vice President Kamala Harris’s residence in the Naval Observatory on Thursday.
Democrats and the White House have slammed both governors, with President Joe Biden claiming Abbott and DeSantis are using immigrants as “props” for their “un-American” and “reckless” transportation. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has asked the GOP to call out both governors for their actions.
“They deserve better than being left on the streets of D.C. or being left in Martha’s Vineyard, they deserve a lot better than that,” Jean-Pierre said. “What they are doing is an illegal stunt, is a political stunt, and it’s really just disrespectful to humanity.”
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Gov. Gavin Newsom, a California Democrat, has asked for the Department of Justice and Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate efforts by red-state governors to transport immigrants to blue cities, calling the practice an “inhumane” stunt.
