Headline Roundup • September 20th, 2022
Texas Sheriff Investigating Martha's Vineyard Migrant Flights
Summary from the AllSides News Team
On Monday, a Texas sheriff said that he was launching an investigation into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sending 48 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Florida to Martha's Vineyard last week.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, a Democrat, has claimed that the migrants were "lured" to board flights from Bexar County with false promises of a better life when in reality, they were "used as political pawns." Governor DeSantis has meanwhile stated that the flight to Martha's Vinyeard on September 14th was part of Florida's program to relocate migrants to sanctuary cities, which he said was for the well-being of migrants; he cited at least 46 migrants who were found dead in a tractor-trailer in Bexar County in late June.
Sheriff Salazar's team is working with attorneys representing some of the migrants to establish which state and federal laws may have been broken and who should be charged. Salazar also says that he believes a Venezuelan migrant was paid a "bird dog fee" to recruit the migrants from a resource center in San Antonio, which is located in Bexar County.
News of the launching of the investigation was widely covered by news sources across the political spectrum.
Featured Coverage of this Story
BY BEXAR COUNTY SHERIFF
Texas authorities have opened a criminal investigation into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ shipment of nearly 50 migrants from Texas to Florida to Martha’s Vineyard last week.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is probing whether the migrants, primarily from Venezuela, were victims of crimes, Sheriff Javier Salazar said Monday.
Salazar said the migrants were “lured” to board flights from San Antonio in Bexar County with false promises of employment and opportunity when in reality, he said, they were used as political pawns.
“Somebody came from out of state, preyed upon these people, lured them...
A Texas sheriff said Monday evening his agency will open an investigation into the transportation of 48 Venezuelan migrants from the state to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, a Democrat, told reporters at a Monday news conference that his understanding was that on Wednesday a Venezuelan migrant was paid a "bird dog fee" to recruit 50 migrants from a resource center in San Antonio.
The sheriff said he believes laws were not only broken in Bexar County in transporting nearly 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard but that parallel...
JORDAN VONDERHAAR/GETTY IMAGES
A Texas sheriff has launched a criminal investigation into the flights arranged by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis which brought 48 Venezuelan migrants from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha's Vineyard last week.
Javier Salazar, sheriff of the Texas county where San Antonio is located, Bexar County, told reporters that it's too soon to press charges against anyone and make public the names of any suspect.
But he added that his team is working with the attorneys representing some of the migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard to establish what laws were broken and who should be charged.
...AllSides Picks
Headline Roundup
ICE Detains Conservative Influencer Milo Yiannopoulos in Louisiana
August 28th, 2026
Headline Roundup
State Department Pauses Immigrant Visa Interviews Worldwide
August 27th, 2026
Blog
Tracking Trump’s Campaign Promises
AllSides Staff
August 13th, 2026
.webp)
Blog
Courts, Crackdowns, and Civil Right Violations: 6 New Stories You Probably Haven’t Seen
Malayna J. Bizier
August 5th, 2026
