‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’

Ron DeSantis Sued—Again—Over Martha’s Vineyard Migrant Flights

Three immigrant rights groups argue the program was unconstitutional and created an incoherent definition of “unauthorized alien” that did not comply with federal immigration laws.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other officials are being sued in federal court by several immigrant rights organizations for their part in creating a $12 million state program which culminated in the relocation of Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard with money appropriated under the American Rescue Plan. The three groups—the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Americans for Immigrant Justice and Hope Community Center—argue the program was unconstitutional and created an incoherent definition of “unauthorized alien” that did not comply with federal immigration laws. The controversial flights also garnered another series of lawsuits which centered around the accusation that representatives for the state of Florida lied to the migrants before they agreed to get on the plane. DeSantis said at the time he ordered the flights as a way to shine a light on President Joe Biden’s failed border policies.