Florida flies dozens of migrants to Martha's Vineyard

A young girl is shown staying at a shelter on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., after she and dozens of other migrants arrived by plane unannounced Wednesday. (Eve Zuckoff/WCAI)

Eve Zuckoff / Eve Zuckoff

A plane paid for by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis left San Antonio, Texas, Wednesday with about 50 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, who then arrived at a small regional airport in Martha’s Vineyard.

The migrants touched down at about 3:15 p.m. local time. Later Wednesday, a spokesperson for DeSantis sent a statement to NPR and other news outlets confirming that the migrants were transported by Florida under a state program that was funded by the legislature earlier this year. The statement reads in part: “States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration.”

The Florida statement refers to two planes, but local officials at Martha’s Vineyard say there was only one.