How were the migrants transported from Martha's Vineyard after the DeSantis flights?
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Executive summary
About 49 Venezuelan migrants were flown from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard in September 2022 on chartered flights arranged by a vendor hired by Florida; after arrival the island community sheltered them overnight and then helped move most off-island to other Massachusetts towns and to Joint Base Cape Cod by bus and ferry [1] [2] [3]. School buses and local transit were used on the Vineyard to move the group to temporary shelter at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and then onward transport arrangements were made to mainland locations [2] [4] [3].
1. How the migrants arrived: a chartered, multi-stop plane operation
The migrants were flown from San Antonio on chartered flights that made intermediate stops — including in Florida and other states — before landing on Martha’s Vineyard; the flights were arranged by a contractor (Vertol Systems) that had been hired by Florida and subsequently subcontracted operations to Ultimate JetCharters, according to reporting and court filings [1] [5].
2. Who handled them on arrival: island officials and volunteers stepped in
Island first responders and volunteers immediately mobilized. Edgartown police and local nonprofits received the group; organizers arranged food, bedding and shelter at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and other venues. Local leaders and community organizations guided migrants onto school buses and coordinated short-term assistance [2] [6].
3. Short-term movement on the island: school buses and local transit
Because the arrivals were unexpected, the Vineyard used available local transport — notably school buses — to move the migrants from the landing area to temporary shelter, a cafeteria for meals, and housing sites. Reports specifically note school buses were arranged to transport the group the night they arrived [2].
4. What happened after the first night: transfers off the island and wider relocation
Within weeks nearly all of the roughly 49 people had left Martha’s Vineyard for other Massachusetts towns or federal facilities. Reporting and photo captions indicate some of the group were transported to Joint Base Cape Cod in Buzzards Bay; by December only five of the original 49 reportedly remained on the island, with most relocating to other cities across the state and country [4] [3].
5. Legal and administrative fallout tied to transportation contractors
Migrants later sued the charter company and courts allowed claims against the air carrier to proceed; Lawyers for Civil Rights and other counsel have pursued legal action against Vertol Systems, which contracted to carry out the flights for Florida [7] [8]. A federal judge permitted migrant claims against the charter company, finding sufficient allegations to proceed [8].
6. Conflicting accounts and key disputes about consent and destination
Migrants and their lawyers say many were told they were going to Boston or were promised jobs, housing and legal assistance; migrants say Martha’s Vineyard was not disclosed on consent forms and that abbreviations on forms had been filled in later. State officials and DeSantis’ office defended the operation differently. These conflicting narratives became central in lawsuits and public debate [1] [9].
7. Broader context: part of a political pattern of relocations
The flights fit a larger pattern in 2022 of Republican governors relocating migrants to Democratic-led cities to spotlight border policy disagreements; other governors bused thousands to Washington, New York and Chicago. Observers described the Martha’s Vineyard flight as an outlier because it was by air and involved a small island community unprepared for an abrupt arrival [10] [4].
8. What reporting does not resolve or confirm
Available sources do not mention a comprehensive log of every off-island trip each migrant took after their Vineyard arrival, nor do they provide a singular, definitive timeline for every subsequent relocation for all 49 people [4] [3]. Detailed state contracts or complete accounting of who paid which vendors remain opaque in public reporting, though some payments and contractor names (Vertol Systems) are cited [1] [5].
9. Why this matters now: transport, consent and legal rights
The central issues are not merely logistics but whether migrants were misled about destination and whether contractors and officials complied with legal and ethical obligations. Courts have allowed legal claims to proceed against the air carrier and civil-rights advocates seek remedies including visa pathways and damages; Bexar County later investigated and the local DA at one point declined to pursue criminal charges in related matters [8] [11] [12].
Limitations: this summary relies only on the provided reporting and court-related sources; it does not include later depositions, sealed records, or documents not cited in those articles. Where sources conflict, this briefing notes the dispute and cites each account [9] [1].