CAPE COD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The housing operation of Venezuelan migrants at Joint Base Cape Cod is over, state officials announced Friday.
"The sheltering operation at JBCC for the Venezuelan migrants has ended, with all individuals transitioning into alternative housing or leaving the Commonwealth for opportunities in other states," the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security said in a statement.
"The Administration is grateful for the collaborative efforts between several state agencies and non-profit providers to ensure each individual received necessary humanitarian resources and access to new housing options," the statement continued.
49 migrants were flown from Texas to Martha's Vineyard on Sept. 14 as part of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' plan to transport undocumented immigrants to sanctuary states.
"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 through their designation as 'sanctuary states' and support for the Biden Administration's open border policies," DeSantis said in a statement.
Two days later, Gov. Charlie Baker activated 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to help voluntarily relocate the migrants to the dormitories at Joint Base Cape Cod, which was designated as an emergency shelter by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).
At the time of the housing operation's conclusion, 35 of the 49 migrants were still at JBCC, while the other 14 had already left the base.
DeSantis' actions received sharp criticism from the Biden Administration, Democratic lawmakers, and immigration lawyers. On Sept. 20, Lawyers for Civil Rights filed a lawsuit against DeSantis and the State of Florida on behalf of the migrants, asking the federal court to enjoin the defendants from inducing immigrants to travel across state lines by fraud and misrepresentation, and to award damages to the individual plaintiffs and the class.
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