This commentary is written by Kevin Ellis, a communications consultant based in Montpelier. He is a member of the board of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the parent organization of VTDigger.
“… Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus 1849-1897
The New Colossus poem sits at the main entrance to the Statue of Liberty in New York. It states, in no uncertain terms, the promise of America to welcome all who come to our shores seeking the promise of liberty. This promise has held true throughout our country’s history. It has also run false on many occasions. Most recently these two sides of America have been on display in Texas, Florida and Massachusetts, where two sadistic, inhumane governors have exercised their power to exploit 50 innocent immigrants for political gain.
They made their way through jungles, across rivers and oceans, on foot and on buses, in the dark and under a beating sun. Threatened with death and torture from criminal gangs and dire poverty, they pushed forward, risking all to see that promise fulfilled.
So when a woman named Perla approached these migrants in a McDonald’s parking lot and told them of free transportation and jobs to be had — destination unknown — they jumped at the chance. Little did they know that Perla, and others like her, were merely foot soldiers in a sinister plot by Governors Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott.
DeSantis hired private planes to fly migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, the small, rural island known for its wealthy progressive politics and visits by the Clintons and Obamas. His goal was to expose liberal hypocrisy on border politics by showcasing how a liberal state would react to 50 new migrants. He also hoped to whip up attention for a possible 2024 presidential candidacy.
Despite the Martha’s Vineyard Airport administrators and citizens knowing nothing of the scheme, they did something very American when the migrants arrived. The islanders rallied. Immigrants were taken to St. Andrews Church in Edgartown. The locals organized food, clothes and medical care. Phones were provided so the visitors could call their families at home. They slept in safety.
Pat and Polly Toomey, long-time owners of a local breakfast place, spent Friday feeding the migrants.
“They won’t be hungry today,’’ Pat proudly told the Boston Globe.
Massachusetts’ Republican Gov. Charlie Baker put in place a plan to transport them to a military base on Cape Cod and thanked Vineyard residents for rising to the occasion. They were put on a ferry boat for the mainland, on their way to a temporary shelter where the state of Massachusetts and the U.S. government promised to take care of them.
In other words, our government was doing its job. Americans responded with kindness and empathy, and the governor of Massachusetts behaved like a responsible adult, unlike his colleagues to the south.
There is no question that we cannot take them all. No question that our immigration system is broken. No question that border states in the south are dealing with an influx of people without the necessary resources.
But to trick innocent people into boarding a plane under the false promise of jobs and housing is beyond a cynical trick for political advantage. It is mean. It is the classic calling card of the bully — cruel and nasty to those less powerful.
DeSantis and Abbott could have taken any number of avenues toward fixing this problem. They could have convened a meeting and invited all players to work out a solution. They could have worked with the White House. Instead, they manipulated innocent, defenseless people for their political gain and their personal jollies. How do they live with themselves?
The blame for the border situation is shared by all, liberals and conservatives alike. And yet we can take these people. We can make a better life available to them.
In America, immigration and diversity are core values. They are cultural beliefs that glue the country together. We saw it Friday as the migrants left Martha’s Vineyard for the military base in Cape Cod. Upon leaving, there were hugs all around. Migrant kids and their parents making new friends, expressing hope to return for work and a better life. A local police officer stood by the bus, doing his job, a gentle hand on the shoulder of one of the kids.
Another tragedy of all this foolishness is that there are help-wanted signs all over Martha’s Vineyard. Stores and restaurants are closing early this season for lack of workers. There are many people that want to work. They may speak a different native language and hail from a different country. But so what?
All across the country, we need workers. We need citizens. We have the capacity and money to welcome them and care for them and help them grow into Americans who can rebuild this country.
As a young migrant named Paulo said as he waited for his fate to be decided: “(America) is a great country with many opportunities, and we come to add, to try to be part of society.’’
He is better off in New England. We need him here. I hope he can stay.
