Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar (D) [Photos l-r: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images; CNN screengrab]
A Texas sheriff recommended criminal charges in connection to the Florida-sponsored flight of dozens of migrants from the Lone Star State to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, last autumn.
In September 2022, some 49 migrants were lured from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard, allegedly under false pretenses that various benefits awaited them, including help with paperwork, attorneys, English classes, jobs, expedited work authorization, and housing.
When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) took credit for their relocation, the incident sparked national controversy, still-active litigation and prosecutorial investigation. A representative for Sheriff Javier Salazar, a lawman who ran as a Democrat in Bexar County and was re-elected in 2020, has confirmed that the office “has officially filed a completed criminal case” with the county attorney’s office.
“The charge filed is Unlawful Restraint and several accounts were filed, both misdemeanor and felony,” the spokesperson said. “At this time, the case is being reviewed by the DA’s office. Once an update is available, it will be provided to the public.”
It remains unclear whom the targets of the investigation are.
Rachel Self, one of the attorneys whom Sheriff Salazar credited by name as helpful to his investigation, celebrated the filing of charges — and demanded accountability from the top.
“I am deeply grateful to Sheriff Salazar and his incredible team for launching and conducting such a vigorous and thorough investigation of the criminal acts that occurred in San Antonio in September,” Self wrote in a statement. “He did so not out of any political sentiment, but because he felt strongly that he could not allow vulnerable human beings under his protection to be hunted and victimized.”
Describing Salazar’s case as “extremely strong,” Self said: “There is copious evidence, including text messages from Florida authorities, contracts with vendors, accounts from the migrants themselves, and other probable cause that this was a criminal scheme to trick people into getting on a plane with false promises with the intention to transport them across state lines.”
“No one can consent to being a victim of a crime,” Self added.
The question of consent is likely to be a crucial one, and the Sunshine State’s Division of Emergency Management released a statement insisting: “Florida’s voluntary relocation is precisely that – voluntary.”
The Florida agency released that comment in response to a more recent controversy: the similar transportation of migrants to Sacramento, California, where the state’s attorney general opened up a parallel probe into what he described as “state-sanctioned kidnapping.”
The Florida agency accused their critics of hypocrisy.
“From left-leaning mayors in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, the relocation of those illegally crossing the United States border is not new,” the Division said. “But suddenly, when Florida sends illegal aliens to a sanctuary city, it’s false imprisonment and kidnapping.”
The agency disseminated charts of immigrant relocation programs across various states and cities. El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser (D) sent more than 10,000 migrants to New York City and more than 3,000 to Chicago; Denver Mayor Michael Hancock (D) sent 1,900 to multiple U.S. cities; and New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) sent 340 to other locations in the state and Canada, according to the agency’s tallies.
What sets Florida apart, the governor’s detractors note, is that the Sunshine State allegedly sent third-parties to “fraudulently” induce migrants to go to sanctuary jurisdictions on promises never delivered — for the purpose of scoring political points. Florida-sponsored immigration relocation programs also operated outside state lines.
“Human beings are being hunted for political points in America,” Self, one of the key attorneys representing migrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard, said. “It appears government officials are doing the hunting. This is not ok. Men, women and children are being hunted and victimized. Politicians and government officials appear to be the perpetrators. We collectively, as a nation, need to stand up and refuse to tolerate this atrocious un-American behavior.”
The Florida agency’s representative didn’t immediately respond to an email requesting comment specifically on the conclusion of the Bexar County investigation.
Salazar’s term is set to expire at the end of 2024.
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