The roughly four dozen migrants that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis helped fly from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard about a year and a half ago have been granted legal designations due to the Republican’s crimes against the “victims.”

On September 14, 2022, DeSantis emulated immigration policies enforced by Texas Governor Greg Abbott—who has become known for busing migrants to liberal, sanctuary cities like New York and Chicago—and sent two planes of about 50 migrants, including children, from San Antonio to the small, liberal island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Critics of DeSantis said that sending the migrants, mostly from Venezuela, to the popular vacationing spot was a political stunt that cost Florida taxpayers about $615,000 in total, or about $12,300 per migrant paid out of a $12 million fund to relocate unauthorized immigrants from Florida. Days after they touched down, the migrants—aided by civil rights attorneys—filed a class action lawsuit demanding financial compensation for “economic, emotional and constitutional harms.”

  • vividspecter
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    7 months ago

    I’m not sure why the word victims is in quotes. That seems like an accurate description to me.

    • qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website
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      7 months ago

      I think it could be that this is a legal distinction — as in, they are victims not just in a colloquial sense but also “victims” in this sense:

      The migrants applied for U nonimmigrant status (or a U visa), described by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as a visa “set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.”

      But yeah, it reads a bit funny.

      • Optional@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        It reads funny, and Newsweek knew that.

        That’s the point. Another drop for Newsweek down the well of enshittified garbage clicks.

    • stoly@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      I suspect that it’s citing a term in the appropriate law, essentially saying that the law says that they are victims.

    • qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website
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      7 months ago

      I think it could be that this is a legal distinction — as in, they are victims not just in a colloquial sense but also “victims” in this sense:

      The migrants applied for U nonimmigrant status (or a U visa), described by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as a visa “set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.”

      But yeah, it reads a bit funny.