This September, eight Venezuelan migrants were flown from Texas to California. They did not have prior knowledge of their destination and had intended to go to other parts of the country with Venezuelean communities. Instead, the migrants were confused on why they were sent to Sacramento, where they had no connections. Without money or food, they were directed to NorCal Resist, a group that provides services to migrants. Unusually, the organization was not notified about the groups prior to their arrival. Later, a second group of migrants landed in Sacramento and had to spend a night in the park, since the office was closed. A spokesperson from Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office stated that the governor is busing migrants to New York, Washington and Chicago and is not involved with the transportation of the migrants that arrived at Sacramento. Although the Governor’s claim that “the Biden Administration will be able to more immediately meet the needs of the [migrants]”, the lack of clear communication reveals that these relocations are meant to exploit the vulnerable to make a political statement instead of providing them with actual resources they need.
These were not isolated incidents. Many migrants have been bussed from Texas to New York, Washington and Chicago. A bus of migrants also arrived at Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington, D.C. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis had 48 migrants flown out to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. In response to the incident, Gov. DeSantis has stated that Florida is “not a sanctuary state” and “will help facilitate [the] transport for [migrants] to be able to go to greener pastures.” He has since stated that Florida will continue transporting migrants as they have allocated money for their transportation to other states. In spite of the governor’s promises, the highly sensationalized events seem more performative than actually putting the human interests first. President Joe Biden has condemned the governors’ actions as “playing politics with human beings” and “using them as props” in “political stunts.” There’s another reason to suspect these antics are for political gains, as both governors are up for reelection in the general elections in November.
In Venezuela, there is a humanitarian crisis due to its socioeconomic deterioration under a socialist regime. COVID-19 exacerbated the economic crisis, which in turn, intensified the country’s food insecurity and health care problems. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) more than 6 million Venezueleans were forced to leave their homes – about 20% of their population. Venezueleans traveled to neighboring countries, such as Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil and Peru. Some have tried to seek asylum in the U.S. or Mexico. Many Venezuelans were among the migrants transported to liberal states. Even if they are not persecuted in Venezuela, it is important to keep in mind that they might be in danger if they do return; it is shameful to further destabilize those who are already coping with the loss of their homes, family, and security.
Although it is legal for states to transport migrants to other states with their consent, many of these migrants have stated that they were promised work and opportunities that do not exist. They were misled with promises that suspiciously echo human trafficking tactics. It is inhumane to drop people in “sanctuary destinations” with little to no notice and where little to no infrastructure exists to help them. This does not “expose” liberal hypocrisy as some people claim. These “stunts” hinder the processes for federal immigration agencies to provide for these migrants. These are humans – vulnerable people – seeking asylum in the U.S., only to be used as tools for a cruel “political stunt.”
