A federal judge in Boston has ruled that migrants flown from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in 2022 can file a case against the Florida business that transported them there.
The judge also dismissed allegations against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other officials mentioned in the lawsuit.
Three Venezuelan migrants and an immigrant rights group filed the complaint. They claim that Florida’s governor, officials in his government, and an airline conspired to deceive them and deprive them of their civil rights when they recruited and transported them to Martha’s Vineyard in 2022.
The migrants, Yanet, Pablo, and Jesus, assert that although they received information about their journey to Massachusetts, they were unaware of their final destination, Martha’s Vineyard, until shortly before their arrival.
The plaintiffs claim that a videographer hired by the DeSantis administration captured their coming and boarding vans. The plaintiffs claim that, except for the videographer and van drivers, no one else on Martha’s Vineyard was aware of their impending presence.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs’ judgment states that the case against Vertol, an air transport corporation, can proceed. Judge Burroughs dismissed charges against Gov. DeSantis and other members of his administration due to jurisdictional issues, but did so “without prejudice.” As the case progresses, the legal team defending the migrants may seek to re-involve DeSantis and others.
In the 77-page filing, Judge Burroughs was harsh on individuals involved in the plan. “Vertol and the other defendants here were not legitimately enforcing any immigration laws,” she said. She went on to say, “The Court sees no legitimate purpose for rounding up highly vulnerable individuals on false pretenses and publicly injecting them into a divisive national debate.”
The ruling, according to Lawyers for Civil Rights, is “a major victory in the Martha’s Vineyard case, and it sends a crucial message: private companies can—aand will—bbe held accountable for helping rogue state actors violate the rights of vulnerable immigrants through illegal and fraudulent schemes.”
However, Brian Kelly, a lawyer representing Vertol, stated, “We are pleased that most of the case has now been dismissed and believe the Lawyers for Civil Rights are once again mistaken in their analysis of the situation.”
