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Migrants sent by DeSantis to Martha's Vineyard, now being ferried to Cape Cod military base

The base is home to five military commands training for missions at home and overseas.

Published: September 16, 2022 11:41am

Updated: September 16, 2022 12:40pm

The roughly 50 migrants who recently arrived by plane to the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard are on Friday being relocated to the mainland to a joint military base.

The migrants are being taken to Joint Base Cape Cod, about an hour ferry ride from the island, after arriving Wednesday by a plane from Florida sent by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

The base is home to five military commands training for missions at home and overseas.

State and local officials have said since the migrants' unexpected arrival that the small vacation island, popular among wealthy liberals, doesn't have adequate facilities for the new arrivals.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker's office on Friday morning announced the plan, which will include efforts from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and other officials, according to the Cape Cod Times

The governor also reportedly said he will activate up to 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to assist.

DeSantis and fellow GOP Govs. Gregg Abbott, of Texas, and Doug Ducey, of Arizona, have recently sent migrants to liberal-leaning towns and cities across the country to relieve their taxpayers of the economic burden of providing services to those arriving in record numbers at the the U.S.-Mexico border.

They've also bused and flown migrants to cities including New York and Washington, D.C., to try to make the case that the country's immigration problems are national, not regional or local. 

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