Venezuelans’ reactions to DeSantis’ migrant flights reflect diverse immigration views
Venezuelans in South Florida are experiencing a duality of political positions regarding the measure taken by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to unexpectedly fly some 50 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Some rushed to condemn the flights last week, calling them “a new low.” Others, including the Republican Venezuelans who admire DeSantis for his conservative policies, believe that his decision was necessary in the face of pressure to increase immigration controls, according to testimonies obtained by el Nuevo Herald.
And some like Josefina Carrasco, a staunch follower of DeSantis who has lived in Doral for seven years, are conflicted.
Carrasco generally supports the governor’s controversial decision to intercept migrants and send them to locations outside Florida because she says the federal government is failing to stem the flow of thousands of migrants coming through the southern border every day.
“I support that there is some type of immigration plan. The responsible authorities are not doing anything to regulate the situation. The society that already has a life in this country will be affected by the massive migration of Venezuelans and people of other nationalities,” said Carrasco, who is 34 and has a four-year-old daughter born in the United States.
“It is necessary that the authorities take an action on immigration. Disorderly and abrupt immigration is going to affect all communities in Florida. We are already beginning to see it in Doral. We have invested our savings in processing a visa that will take us to permanent residency and it doesn’t seem fair to me that just by crossing the border, these immigrants will solve their problems,” she said.
Carrasco, however, criticizes DeSantis for shipping off Venezuelan immigrants and not people from other backgrounds. “I think he does it because our voting community in this country is a minority. Why isn’t he doing it with other nationalities, like Cubans, for example?” she wondered.
According to the Census Bureau, there are about 273,216 Venezuelans living in Florida, making it the state with the largest number of Venezuelans in the United States. Many who have fled the country come to the U.S. seeking escape from the nation’s economic turmoil or asylum from leader Nicolas Maduro’s authoritarian, socialist government.
Venezuelan Democrats have criticized the governor and his immigration policies in the face of last week’s events.
Adelys Ferro, director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, said that “using newly arrived Venezuelans as pawns in his political game is despicable.” For Ferro, it is a dichotomy to say that Maduro is a dictator while rejecting migrants and refugees fleeing Venezuela.
Patricia Martín, a politically independent Venezuelan who has lived in Hialeah for the past 12 years, called the flights an “improper use of power” by DeSantis. She said she usually supports Republicans, but feels that DeSantis “tramples, destroys and replaces those who don’t support him.”
‘Politicians must take some action’
Vicente Ramírez, a 58-year-old Venezuelan who has lived in Kendall for eight years, believes that “the decision made by DeSantis is very risky, although I think he was successful. It’s his way of putting pressure on [President Joe] Biden to do something on the border; he has to do it.”
Ramírez, who works as a journalist at Radio World TV, agrees with DeSantis, “although this is not going to solve the problem” with immigration, he noted. “I think the governor should establish a formal plan on this measure, analyze each case individually, check their criminal records before sending them to another state,” he said.
The journalist alleges that there are recently arrived Venezuelans who have not come as legal residents to put their lives in order, but some are committing crimes, while others, he said, “survive by begging on the streets.”
“In a sense, I agree with DeSantis. I understand that he cannot let everyone come to the state,” Ramírez said.
Support for DeSantis is strongest especially among expatriate Venezuelans better known as “MAGAzuelans” because of their strong support of former President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again political movement, which largely discusses immigration as a threat to the U.S.
Jesús Tarre, a Venezuelan-American Republican, is among them.
“Of course, I support DeSantis’ actions. He did it because those hypocritical politicians who support open borders are the first to live in private gated developments, with entry controls,” Tarre wrote in a comment sent to el Nuevo Herald via social media.
Felipe García, a 53-year-old resident of Weston, told el Nuevo Herald he strongly rejects illegal immigration, regardless of whether the migrants are Venezuelans like him or not.
“Politicians must take some action to stop this migratory wave of Venezuelans, Cubans and other nationalities that are arriving in great numbers. If Biden doesn’t do it, someone else must. I applaud what DeSantis did and what the governor of Texas has done,” García explained, referring to similar measures taken by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in recent months to bus migrants to Democrat-run cities.
Republicans aren’t entirely unified behind DeSantis.
Gabriel Rondón, 21, an engineering and business student at Florida International University and president of the Venezuelan Student Alliance, identifies himself as a Republican, but does not completely agree with DeSantis.
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“As a Venezuelan, it makes me sad that our community is being used to convey a political message to the nation,” said Rondón, who has lived in Miami for five years. “I don’t feel comfortable listening to these stories, but I think DeSantis wants to prevent immigration in the state from becoming an exponential problem,”
This story was originally published September 19, 2022 at 12:17 PM.
