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Criminal charges have been filed by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office with the local district attorney after completing an investigation into the transportation of 49 migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard last September, which was conducted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration.
According to a statement released by the sheriff’s office, they have filed multiple charges of unlawful restraint, encompassing both misdemeanors and felonies. The office refrained from disclosing the identities of any specific suspects and did not provide information regarding the exact date when the investigation was handed over to the Bexar County district attorney.
The statement explained that the DA’s office is currently reviewing the case and will provide an update to the public when it becomes available.
Spokesperson Johnny Garcia, in a separate statement from the sheriff’s office, mentioned that the case was recently handed over to the DA’s office. He further stated that, currently, the suspects involved in the case are not being disclosed.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales announced that his office will carefully examine the criminal complaint provided by the sheriff’s office.
Gonzales stated that the procedure to ascertain if there is sufficient evidence to press charges against an individual and persuade a Bexar County jury, without any doubt, that a crime has occurred, can be a time-consuming and arduous process even in ideal situations. If an examination of the facts uncovers the occurrence of a felony offense, it will be presented to a grand jury for further deliberation.
A law firm representing a group of migrants has filed a lawsuit claiming that Perla Huerta, a former combat medic and counterintelligence agent in the U.S. Army, offered $10 McDonald’s gift cards to approximately 50 migrants in San Antonio last year. In return, the migrants were asked to sign a consent form to board a flight to Massachusetts. The lawsuit alleges that on the charter plane, the migrants, primarily from Venezuela, were given a brochure containing a list of organizations offering social services that they were not qualified to receive.
At a news conference the following day, DeSantis proudly took responsibility for dispatching the aircrafts from Texas to Massachusetts. He stated that it was a component of the state’s initiative to transfer migrants to a designated “sanctuary destination.” State records reveal that the Florida Legislature allocated $12 million for this endeavor, and DeSantis has already utilized over $1.5 million on the flights.
The Tribune’s request for comment went unanswered by DeSantis’ office.
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said he was “was pleased to hear that Sheriff Salazar’s office has taken the case seriously. This is not about politics, it’s about people that have broken the law. And they need to be held accountable.”
In the meantime, California’s attorney general leveled an accusation on Monday, stating that the DeSantis administration had been actively seeking out South American migrants in El Paso and then arranging flights for them to Sacramento. Just a day later, the DeSantis administration proudly claimed responsibility for organizing these flights.
According to the Sacramento Bee, 16 migrants from Venezuela and Colombia were flown on Friday from El Paso to Sacramento and then dropped in front of the offices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento. On Monday, the same plane carried 20 migrants from El Paso to Deming, N.M., then to Sacramento, according to the newspaper and the flight tracking website FlightAware.
In a released statement, Alecia Collins, the communications director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, emphasized that the relocation of migrants was completely voluntary. Additionally, she highlighted that the migrants were received by Catholic Charities, a non-governmental organization, in Sacramento.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement on Saturday that his office has opened an investigation into the flights and was evaluating potential criminal or civil action against those who arranged transportation for the migrants. He said individuals were in possession of documentation that claimed to be from the government of the State of Florida.
Bonta stated that, as we gather more evidence, it is crucial to emphasize that state-sanctioned kidnapping is not a viable public policy decision; instead, it is a repugnant and immoral act.
On Monday, Bonta’s office said the same contractor flew both groups of migrants to Sacramento, according to the Los Angeles Times.
According to a statement released on Monday, the California Department of Justice has deployed special agents who are now present and have established communication with the individuals in question. Similar to the migrants who arrived on Friday, the newly arrived migrants today possess documents confirming that their journey to California originated from the state of Florida.
The Boston-based law firm, Lawyers for Civil Rights, which is currently representing migrants involved in the Martha’s Vineyard case, has announced that it will also be extending its services to clients in Sacramento.
Mirian Albert, an attorney with Lawyers for Civil Rights, stated that the office took action and successfully deployed a group of our attorneys to California.
In a tweet Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called DeSantis a “small, pathetic man. This isn’t Martha’s Vineyard.” He included a link to his state’s criminal code on kidnapping.
Noah Alcala Bach and William Melhado contributed to this story.
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