The U.S. Congressional midterm elections are approaching, and the political struggle between the Republicans and Democrats in the United States has become increasingly fierce. The former uses the immigration issue as a "weapon", and the "tactics" have been upgraded, from the package bus transporting immigrants to the Democrat-run cities, to "airdrops" , and even sent directly outside the Vice President's residence.
On the 14th, the two planes landed on Martha's Vineyard near the capital of Boston in northeastern Massachusetts.
There were about 50 migrants on board, mostly Venezuelans.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, later announced that Florida was using planes to "fly undocumented immigrants to their safe havens."
The Florida Legislature previously approved $12 million in funding to move immigrants out of Florida.
"Our state is not a place of refuge ... In Florida, we take what is happening on the southern border seriously," DeSantis said.
According to Reuters, the two planes took off from San Antonio, Texas, and stopped in Florida.
The immigrants were told they could fly for free to Massachusetts, where they could eat, live, see a doctor, and have jobs.
A 27-year-old immigrant said after disembarking from the plane that an unidentified woman who identified herself as "Pella" painted the "good prospect" to him and his family outside a shelter near San Antonio. The relatives got on the plane, but they didn't expect to come to a small island. They were overwhelmed and scared.
Since this spring, fellow Republicans Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey have busted immigrants to Democrat-run Washington, New York and Chicago in a show of support for Democrats. Opposition to President Joseph Biden's immigration policies.
A total of more than 10,000 immigrants have arrived in the above cities, with Washington the most.
CNN previously reported that, as of the end of August, the Texas operation to send immigrants had cost $12 million.
Also on the 14th, two buses carrying migrants suddenly appeared near Vice President Kamala Harris' official residence in Washington with more than 100 migrants from Latin American countries such as Colombia, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Abbott called Biden and Harris "continued to ignore and deny the historic crisis at the southern border" and that he "sends migrants into her (Harris's) backyard," urging the pair to "do your job well and keep it up" boundary".
Martha's Vineyard is an American summer vacation destination favored by several former Democratic presidents, including John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Obama also has a million-dollar mansion on the island, covering a total area of about 110,000 square meters.
DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Purshaw taunted on social media: "The residents of Martha's Vineyard have overwhelmingly supported illegal immigration and called for greater diversity, and Governor DeSantis kindly gave them what they wanted. "Pshaw posted a photo of the Obama mansion, saying it could accommodate many immigrants.
"Welcome to being a member of the Southern Frontier State, Massachusetts," another DeSantis spokesman, Jeremy Redfern, teased on social media.
Martha's Vineyard is a small island with a permanent population of about 15,000. The sudden arrival of immigrants by Republicans caught the locals by surprise.
While local residents offer help to the incoming migrants, Elizabeth Forcarelli, deputy director of local community services, worries that providing shelter for the migrants is a "tremendous challenge".
Forcarelli said immigrants arrived with brochures from her community service organization and "they were told that they could get jobs [in the area] and have a house to live in."
"We're making Florida safe from Biden's border policy in a new way," DeSantis told a news conference.
Both Abbott and DeSantis are seeking re-election in November's election.
The Democrats accused these Republican governors of "not talking about martial arts", not only using immigrants as "pawns", but also failing to notify the destination city of the delivery operation in advance.
Biden accused Republicans of "playing politics with people" at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus event on the evening of the 15th; White House spokeswoman Karina Jean-Pierre called this approach a "cruel political stunt."
DeSantis' gubernatorial opponent, Democrat Charlie Crist, accused DeSantis of inhumanely treating immigrants in order to "gain political points."
He said the Florida legislature allocated tens of millions of dollars to deport immigrants rather than people's livelihoods.
Democrats including Crist and California Gov. Gavin Newsom called on federal authorities to investigate the Republican governors' practices.
Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachel Rollins said her office will follow up on the incident and discuss it with the U.S. Justice Department.
While being used as a political tool by U.S. politicians, migrants continue to die while trying to enter the United States from Mexico, some die while crossing border rivers, and some die while crossing land borders with harsh natural conditions to avoid interception, many of them children.
CNN reported on August 25, citing Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber in Texas, that the bodies of migrants have been found in rivers or on land almost every day recently.
Texas medical examiner Colleen Stern said 218 immigrants have died in her district this year, up from 196 a year earlier.
On the 1st of this month, dozens of migrants crossed the Rio Grande River on the US-Mexico border, and at least nine of them died.
Reuters reported on the 15th, citing two unnamed U.S. officials, that the Department of Homeland Security proposed a plan last year to send migrants to inland cities to ease pressure on the southern border area, but the White House has so far not agreed.