Texas sheriff probes move to 'lure' migrants to Martha's Vineyard after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chartered their flights

The sheriff of Texas said he was opening a criminal investigation into the transport of migrants to Martha's Vineyard, saying they were lured with promises of a better life.

During a news conference on Monday, the sheriff said he had received names of people of interest in the case.

A group of migrants from Texas and San Antonio were flown to Massachusetts island by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in protest of the policies of President Joe Biden.

The migrants told NPR that they were promised work permits in Boston but ended up in Martha's Vineyard, and their lawyers posted photos of misleading brochures they said they received.

They were taken advantage of. The person who came from out of state lured these people with promises of a better life and then tricked them into going to Martha's Vineyard for political posturing.

—SheriffSalazar (@sheriffsalazar) September 20, 2022

A migrant from Venezuela was paid a "bird dog fee" to bring in 50 other people to a migrant resource center in San Antonio. They were lured under false pretenses to stay at a hotel for a couple of days, flown to Florida, and then flown to Martha's Vineyard for a photo op.

He said that they were promised the solution to their problems.

The people in the case were already going through hard times, and they had every right to be there, according to the man. According to the Miami Herald, the migrants presented themselves to US authorities.

He couldn't tell you what statute had been broken, but he could tell you it was wrong. What was done to these people is wrong. He did not refer to him by his name.

"Truth be told, there's going to need to be some coordinating, because I haven't heard from the White House about this case," he said.

There is a high chance that laws were broken in his county, and there may be some parallel laws being broken on the federal side.

Taryn Fenske responded to the investigation by saying that immigrants are more than willing to leave Bexar County. Unlike the 53 people who died in an abandoned truck in Bexar County, FL gave an opportunity in a sanctuary state.

—Taryn Fenske (@tarynfenske) September 19, 2022