海角大神

Republican governors are escalating their partisan tactic of sending migrants to Democratic strongholds without advance warning, including a wealthy summer enclave in Massachusetts and the home of Vice President Kamala Harris, to taunt leaders of immigrant-friendly 鈥渟anctuary鈥� cities and stoke opposition to Biden administration border policies.

The governors of Texas and Arizona have sent thousands of migrants on buses to New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. in recent months. But the latest surprise moves 鈥� which included two flights to Martha鈥檚 Vineyard Wednesday paid for by Florida 鈥� reached a new level of political theater that critics derided as inhumane.

Upon arrival in Martha鈥檚 Vineyard, where former President Barack Obama has a home, the migrants who are predominantly from Venezuela were provided with meals, shelter, health care, and information about where to find work.

The vacation island south of Boston, whose year-round residents include many blue-collar workers, appeared to absorb the dozens of arrivals without a major hitch.

Elizabeth Folcarelli, chief executive of the nonprofit Martha鈥檚 Vineyard Community Services, was wrapping up work when she saw 48 Venezuelans with luggage and backpacks approach her office. They carried red folders with brochures for her organization.

鈥淭hey were told that they would have a job. and they would have housing,鈥� said Ms. Folcarelli, who described the scramble for shelter as a 鈥渉uge challenge.鈥�

Migrants played soccer and hung out in small groups on the porch of their temporary shelter Thursday while meeting visiting attorneys who gave free advice and other service providers.

Well-wishers dropped off donations, and volunteers signed up to provide whatever help they could offer. There were no signs of protest.

The president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Domingo Garcia, said that some of the migrants sent on buses from Texas to Washington, D.C. were 鈥渢ricked鈥� 鈥� an allegation that The Associated Press has not confirmed and that officials in Texas and Arizona have denied.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the flights to Martha鈥檚 Vineyard were part of an effort to 鈥渢ransport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.鈥� The Florida Legislature has earmarked $12 million to transport 鈥渦nauthorized aliens鈥� out of state.

Mr. DeSantis鈥� office didn鈥檛 answer questions about where migrants boarded planes and how they were coaxed into making the trip.

Massachusetts state Sen. Julian Cyr told The Vineyard Gazette that one plane originated in San Antonio, raising questions about whether migrants ever set foot in Florida. Flight tracking data shows a flight originated in San Antonio, stopped in Crestview, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, before landing in Martha鈥檚 Vineyard.

The two buses of migrants from Texas that arrived early Thursday outside Harris鈥� residence at the United States Naval Observatory carried more than 100 migrants from Colombia, Cuba, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela.

鈥淭he Biden-Harris administration continues ignoring and denying the historic crisis at our southern border, which has endangered and overwhelmed Texas communities for almost two years,鈥� said Mr. Abbott, who has poured billions of taxpayer dollars into making border security a signature issue.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who has publicly feuded with Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Abbott over their conservative policies, on Thursday asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether transporting migrants across state lines as 鈥減olitical props鈥� broke the law.

鈥淭ransporting families, including children, across state lines under false pretenses is morally reprehensible, but it may also be illegal,鈥� Mr. Newsom wrote in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland that he also posted on his Twitter account.

Without mentioning Mr. DeSantis or Mr. Abbott by name, Mr. Newsom suggested the federal government could bring charges of kidnapping and 鈥渃ivil rights conspiracy鈥� because the migrants were targeted because of their national origin.

After migrants seeking asylum cross the U.S.-Mexico border, they spend time in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility along the border until they are generally released into the U.S. to wait out their cases. Republicans say President Joe Biden鈥檚 policies encourage migrants to vanish into the U.S.; Democrats argue the Trump-era policy of forcing migrants to wait out their asylum cases in Mexico was inhumane.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that federal officials were not told in advance by the Republican governors who sent the migrants to Massachusetts and Washington.

鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about children, we鈥檙e talking about families who were promised a home, promised a job, put on a bus, and driven to a place that they do not know,鈥� said Ms. Jean-Pierre, who called the governors鈥� actions a 鈥渃ruel, premeditated political stunt.鈥�

Mr. Abbott has bused 7,900 migrants to Washington since April, later sending 2,200 to New York. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has bused more than 1,800 migrants to Washington since May. Passengers must sign waivers that the free trips are voluntary.

About 500 people seeking asylum in the U.S. have been transported from the border to Chicago by Mr. Abbott since Aug. 31. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday called up 75 members of the Illinois National Guard to help organize shelter, food, and medical care for migrants arriving by bus from Texas.

鈥淭o Gov. Greg Abbott: Now is the time to stop trying to sow the seeds of chaos, to put aside politics and focus on human rights, communicate with us, have your state agencies call us back,鈥� Mr. Pritzker said at a Chicago news conference. 鈥淪pare us the unnecessary drama and let us go about the work to resettle these asylum seekers.鈥�

Mr. DeSantis appears to be taking the strategy to a new level by using planes and choosing Martha鈥檚 Vineyard, whose harbor towns that are home to about 15,000 people are far less prepared than New York or Washington for large influxes of migrants.

Texas and Florida have infuriated officials in destination cities by failing to provide passenger rosters, estimated times of arrival, and other information that would make it easier to prepare. In contrast, Arizona has coordinated with officials in other cities.

Mr. Biden is facing the same challenges that dogged his predecessor, former President Donald Trump: a dysfunctional asylum system in the U.S., and economic and social conditions that are prompting people from dozens of countries to flee.

U.S. authorities stopped migrants crossing from Mexico about 2 million times from October through July, up nearly 50% from the same period a year earlier. Many are released in the U.S. to pursue their immigration cases because U.S. authorities have struggled to expel them to their countries under a pandemic-era rule that denies them a chance to seek asylum.

Some Republicans celebrated the latest delivery of migrants from border states.

鈥淲elcome to being a state on the Southern border, Massachusetts,鈥� tweeted Mr. DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern.

Stephen Miller, a chief architect of Trump鈥檚 immigration policies, said bringing 鈥渁 few million鈥� migrants to Martha鈥檚 Vineyard should transform the island of about 15,000 people into 鈥渁 modern Eden.鈥�

Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist said Mr. DeSantis is treating the migrants inhumanely. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing to me what he鈥檚 willing to do for sheer political gain,鈥� Mr. Crist said.

Talia Inlender, deputy director of UCLA鈥檚 Center for Immigration Law and Policy, said the flights to Martha鈥檚 Vineyard appear to violate Florida law that they be limited to 鈥渦nauthorized aliens.鈥�

鈥淭hese folks are not unauthorized,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey aren鈥檛 flying under the radar in any way.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press.听AP writers Steve LeBlanc in Boston; Seung Min Kim in Washington; Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida; Gisela Salomon in Miami; Anita Snow in Phoenix; Paul Weber in Austin, Texas; Adam Beam in Sacramento, California; and听John O鈥機onnor in Springfield, Illinois, contributed.