Flying migrants from one jurisdiction to another is, according to the anti-borders contingent, a crime. When Texas and Florida Governors Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis sent migrants – ones they never invited into their jurisdictions – to sanctuary cities all over the U.S., the Bexar County, TX sheriff Javier Salazar charged DeSantis with the crime of “unlawful restraint,” (i.e., kidnapping).
That’s laughable, because the migrants in question got a luxury charter flight to Martha’s Vineyard, an island playground for New England’s wealthy elite.
When the migrants arrived on Martha’s Vineyard, Maura Healey, the governor of Massachusetts, was asked if Abbott and DeSantis had committed a crime. Ms. Healey sidestepped the question. Of course, that may have been because she was about to do exactly the same thing Abbott and DeSantis had done – relocate illegal aliens within the United States.
As you may remember, the grandees inhabiting Martha’s Vineyard promptly asked Governor Healey to remove the migrants from their seaside retreat. And, despite being a fawning advocate for illegal aliens, Governor Healey snapped her fingers. And just like that, the migrants were whisked from the sandy beaches of “The Vineyard,” to the spartan military barracks of Joint Base Cape Cod.
Notably absent was any media commentary questioning whether Governor Healey had committed a crime. Apparently, whisking migrants from one jurisdiction to another is kidnapping. But that’s only true if you’re a governor who favors border security and you relocate illegal aliens to keep the communities where your law-abiding U.S. citizen constituents live from being overrun. If, on the other hand, you’re Governor Healey and you relocate illegals in order to keep your wealthy supporters from having their Norman Rockwell vacation vistas sullied by the great unwashed, that’s perfectly okay.
Apparently, like her sanctuary counterparts Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Ms. Healey never expected large numbers of illegal aliens to respond to her promises to provide sanctuary. Then the Biden Administration completely erased the U.S. border with Mexico and began ushering unvetted illegal aliens into the United States in unprecedented numbers.
Of course, illegal aliens headed to migrant-friendly Massachusetts in droves. At first, Mighty Maura – Protector of the Huddled Masses – handed out freebies like driver’s licenses and free accommodations, pursuant to the Commonwealth’s “Right to Shelter” law. However, when it came time to pay the piper, the honorable Ms. Healey found herself hit with an acute case of sticker shock. While Massachusetts was rich in virtue signaling, it was rapidly becoming cash poor.
According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, illegal aliens were already costing Massachusetts taxpayers “$2.9 billion annually for health care, education, criminal justice, and general welfare.” And, to cover the unexpected expenses associated with treating foreign interlopers like returning war heroes, (all while tossing actual veterans out of local homeless shelters) the Massachusetts legislature considered allocating another $850 million dollars.
Margaret Thatcher once said, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” But when it became clear that passing out taxpayer funds to foreign trespassers might bankrupt the People’s Republic of Massachusetts, Mighty Maura’s solution wasn’t to admit she had pursued a foolhardy policy and try to correct course. No, instead she offered illegal aliens a free ticket to another jurisdiction. If that sounds exactly like what Governors Abbot and DeSantis did, that’s because it is.
And the Governor certainly didn’t mince any words when informing her guests that there is no more room at the inn and they need to go elsewhere. According to Her Honor: “I want to be clear, particularly to people outside of Massachusetts who may have gotten word that this is a place to come, that we do not have room here in Massachusetts.”
Now, in a democratic, constitutional republic with a free press, one might have expected some enterprising journalist to point out, “Well gee, Maura, you told them to come here in the first place.” And it wouldn’t have been unreasonable to expect a few follow-up questions like, “What were you thinking?” and “How did you plan to pay for all this?” That’s how the press acts as a guarantor of liberty, keeping politicians on their toes, and true to their electoral promises.
Nevertheless, there hasn’t been a peep out of the corporate media either addressing out Ms. Healey’s unbridled hypocrisy or decrying the shabby treatment of the aliens who are allegedly being bounced around the United States. It’s not clear exactly why, when sanctimonious sanctuaries get fed up with freeloading foreigners, it’s all good. But when Texas or Florida buy the same uninvited guests a charter flight on a luxury jet, it’s a crime and a human rights violation.
Two things, however, are abundantly clear: Americans no longer have any reasonable expectation that their elected leaders will promote their interests over those of foreign interlopers. And, when it comes to reporting on immigration issues, the media is more than willing to pee on Americans’ legs and tell them it’s actually raining.
Matt O’Brien is the Director of Investigations at the Immigration Reform Law Institute and the co-host of IRLI’s podcast “No Border, No Country.” Immediately prior to working for IRLI he served as an immigration judge. He has nearly 30 years of experience in immigration law and policy, having held numerous positions within the Department of Homeland Security.
