Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R.) said Tuesday that migrants fleeing Haiti could be transported from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard, the wealthy Massachusetts island where DeSantis flew illegal immigrants in 2022.
"We do have our transport program also that’s going to be operational," the governor said during an appearance on Dana Loesch's radio show. "Haitians land in the Florida Keys, their next stop very well may be Martha’s Vineyard."
Gang violence has brought Haiti to the brink of collapse, leaving millions of people at risk of starvation.
In response to potential migration, DeSantis has deployed 250 additional officers and soldiers as well as several aircraft and seacraft to patrol Florida’s southern coast. A boat carrying 25 Haitians was recently stopped by Florida Fish and Wildlife officers. Guns, drugs, and night vision gear were also discovered aboard.
DeSantis in September 2022 sent two planes of roughly 50 Venezuelan migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. A day after the migrants arrived, they were ferried off the island and escorted by National Guard troops to a military base on mainland Massachusetts. President Joe Biden condemned DeSantis's move as a "political stunt."
Florida Republicans have pressured the Biden administration as the crisis in Haiti has escalated, with four GOP representatives writing a letter asking the president to authorize the Navy to conduct maritime interdictions of migrant vessels.