BOSTON — A rumored planeload of immigrants coming to Nantucket this week, in a manner similar to last month’s incident on Martha’s Vineyard, apparently isn’t happening after all.
Nantucket police on Monday reported that they have spoken directly with the charter company, which confirmed that Tuesday’s scheduled flight to the Massachusetts island “will carry executives from an investment company.”
“We believe this information is credible,” police said in a statement.
This flight update comes after Nantucket Police over the weekend issued an alert about a flight that has “very similar to the flight and incident that occurred on Martha’s Vineyard” last month – when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent dozens of immigrants from Texas to Gulf State Island.
On Friday, Nantucket Central Police Dispatch received a call from Nantucket Memorial Airport Operations about a reported flight scheduled to land on Tuesday.
“The purpose of the call was to inform the Nantucket Police Department that the reported planned flight had many similarities to the flight and incident that occurred on Martha’s Vineyard,” Nantucket Police said in the previous alert.
“In the event that a planeload of immigrants arrives, the Nantucket Police Department and many other city departments have a detailed plan to manage such a situation,” police said.
Last month, 49 Venezuelan immigrants were flown from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard on DeSantis’ orders, shocking the island community.
After local residents and groups rose to help the immigrants, they were moved to Joint Base Cape Cod, a military base that was better equipped to meet their housing, food, and base needs. The state’s temporary shelter operation ended over the weekend as transitional housing options were finalized.
The immigrants were at a shelter in San Antonio when they were approached and offered housing, job search assistance and a plane ride to Boston. They were tricked into boarding planes and crossing state lines under false pretenses, according to officials and lawyers.
DeSantis said the flights to Martha’s Vineyard, paid for by Florida, were part of an effort to “transport illegal immigrants to haven destinations.”
A Texas sheriff’s office has launched an investigation into how immigrants were allegedly tricked into boarding the planes, and civil rights lawyers have filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis.
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