Migrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard are being rehoused on a base in Cape Cod : NPR
Jonathan Wiggs / The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Authorities in Massachusetts are moving dozens of migrants arrived earlier this week in Martha’s Vineyard to Cape Cod.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s office on Friday announced that the state’s emergency management agency relocation of migrants to Joint Base Cape Cod. There, the state will provide shelter, food and other essential services, Baker said.
Baker also plans to activate 125 members of the state’s National Guard to assist.
“We are grateful to the vendors, volunteers, and local officials who have supported Martha’s Vineyard over the past few days to provide immediate service to these people,” Baker said in a statement. “Our regulator has been working with the state government to develop a plan to ensure these individuals will have access to the services they need in the future and the Joint Base Cape Cod is well equipped to serve these needs.”
The arrival of the migrants at Martha’s Vineyard earlier this week came as a surprise to local officials, who had no idea they were coming. Immigrants, many from Venezuela, surprised themselves, for they were told they were sent to Boston looking for work opportunities. Surname arrived on two separate planes from San Antonio, Texas, arranged and paid for by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
As of Wednesday, state and local organizations have try to assist newcomers, many of whom speak little or no English.
According to GBH, The southern part of Joint Base Cape Cod contains a small town usually reserved for soldiers and their families. It has provided humanitarian assistance in the past, including when residents from Louisiana stayed there after fleeing Hurricane Katrina in 2005.