Texas Sheriff Certifies Martha’s Vineyard Illegal Immigrants as Victims of Crime in Bid to Get Them Special Visas

Democratic Texas sheriff Javier Salazar certified Thursday morning that the illegal immigrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. are victims of a crime, a status which entitles them to special visas that will allow them to remain in the U.S.

Their status as crime victims makes the group of roughly 50 migrants eligible for so-called U-visas dedicated to victims of a crime or witnesses to a crime.

“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 to GBH News. “We have submitted documentation through the federal system to ensure the migrants’ availability as witnesses during the investigation.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) caps the number of U-visas that can be issued annually at 10,000. However, applying for one “can result in an illegal alien obtaining a work permit,” Jon Feere the Director of Investigations at the Center for Immigration Studies told National Review. Consequently, there were over 270,000 pending U-visa applications in 2020 many of which Feere believes “are undoubtedly fraudulent.”

“The central purpose of the U-visa is to stall the deportation of illegal aliens who may be helpful to a criminal investigation. But since the Biden administration has dramatically gutted immigration enforcement, there’s little reason for any law enforcement agency to be assisting with U visa applications,” Feere wrote.

After spending the night in a local church, the migrants were relocated to a military base on Cape Cod. Local officials explained that the island community was simply unequipped to handle the group of migrants.

In September, the illegal immigrants sued Florida governor Ron DeSantis, accusing him of orchestrating their relocation by misleading them into thinking they would receive access to employment and shelter upon reaching their destination. According to the lawsuit, the immigrants were told they were bound for Boston or Washington D.C. instead of the tony Martha’s Vineyard.

California governor Gavin Newsom has even requested the Department of Justice conduct an investigation into the alleged “kidnapping” of illegal migrants. DeSantis has strongly rejected such claims.

“So the governor of California sent a letter to the Department of Justice saying, ‘You need to prosecute Texas and Florida governors.’ And all I can say is, I think his hair gel is interfering with his brain function,” DeSantis said Friday at a news conference in Florida.

Texas governor Greg Abbott had caught similar flak for busing thousands of illegal immigrants to New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. as part of Operation Lone Star.

“Sanctuary cities like New York City experience a FRACTION of what Texas border communities face every day. We’ll continue busing migrants to NYC, DC, & Chicago to relieve our overwhelmed border towns until Biden does his job to secure the border,” Abbott tweeted in response to New York City’s mayor Eric Adams declaring a “state of emergency” following the influx of migrants.

Many liberals condemned DeSantis’s move as a publicity stunt. The White House called the episode “shameful” while others compared it to Nazi policies and human trafficking.

For their part, the migrants appear to be happy with the move. Many interviewed on camera said they were thankful for Desantis’ said to relocate them to Martha’s Vineyard.