Some of the 49 migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard by the state of Florida are now able to legally work in the United States and have temporary protections from deportation — because they are considered victims of a potential crime, their attorney says. The migrants are eligible for protections because they applied for a special kind of visa meant for crime victims who are helping law enforcement in the investigation of suspected criminal activity. They applied for what are known as U visas last year after they said they had been tricked into taking charter flights from San Antonio, Texas to the Massachusetts island with false promises of jobs and other aid, said Rachel Self, an attorney for the migrants. The migrant flight program — a taxpayer-funded operation led by Gov. Ron DeSantis and a politically connected private contractor — was designed to remove “unauthorized aliens” from Florida. But critics, including immigration advocacy groups, have pointed out that the migrants had legal status in the United States as asylum seekers and that they were found in Texas, not Florida. DeSantis has maintained the flights were conducted lawfully and that migrants boarded the flights “voluntarily.” Yet the recruitment tactics used in the first iteration of the governor’s migrant relocation program have resulted in a criminal investigation by the Bexar County sheriff in Texas and a federal lawsuit by some of the migrants who have claimed they were deceived by the state. Now, some of the migrants have been granted U visas, which are “set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity,” according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. They can eventually lead to permanent lawful status in the United States.
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