- Florida Gov. Desantis flew 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard from Texas.
- The migrants spoke NPRThey believed they were going there to work.
- Advocates liken the tactic to the 1960s reverse freedom rides.
Florida GOP Governor. Ron DeSantis’s move to Martha’s Vineyard to relocate 50 migrants last week was reminiscent of the strategies used by southern segregationists during “Reverse Liberty Rides” in 1960. CNN reported.
You can find out more at TweetRepresentatives of John F. Kennedy Presidential Library also recalled the 1960s segregationalist efforts.
The library stated that “to embarrass Northern liberals, and humiliate Black people,” southern White Citizens’ councils began their “Reverse Freedom Riders,” which gave Black people one-way tickets into northern cities with false promises to jobs, housing, better lives.
50 migrants arrived on Wednesday in Martha’s Vineyard without warning. DeSantis claimed responsibility. In protest of the Biden administration’s immigration policies, Republican governors flew the migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard.
DeSantis was following several GOP governors who, in recent weeks, have sent migrants into liberal cities. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has busedAround 8,000 migrants came to Washington D.C. while another 2,200 went to New York City in protest against the government. Biden’s immigration policy.
NPR reportedThe migrants believed they were heading to Boston in search of work. Three migrants said to outlets that they believed they were heading to Boston for work. A woman identified as Perla promised them Boston-based work permits expedited.
“She (Perla), offered to help us. NPR reported that one migrant identified as Andres told NPR that they had received “help that never arrived”. “Now, we are here. We boarded the plane with a vision for the future and a desire to make it happen.
—JFK Library (@JFKLibrary) September 15, 2022
In 1962, the segregationist group called the White Citizens’ Council falsely promised hundreds of Black Americans housing and jobs before sending them to cities like New York and Philadelphia in an effort called the “Reverse Freedom Rides,” CNN reported.
“Reverse Freedom Rides aren’t well known and it is important to understand that this tactic was used 60 years ago, by segregationists, and White supremacists,” Tanisha, president of NAACP Boston, stated to CNN.
“It’s important to amplify and highlight this parallel, so people see that this kind of racist behavior is still being used today,” she said.
