Did Ron DeSantis Send 50 Illegal Immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard Because of a Tucker Carlson Segment?
Anyone questioning the power that Tucker Carlson has over the Republican party, take note.
Florida Governor Ron Desantis sent roughly 50 undocumented migrants on privately booked flights to the summer vacation island of Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday, at a reported cost to taxpayers of $12 million. And it appears that Massachusettes island was chosen because of a Tucker Carlson Tonight segment from late July.
In a video recently resurfaced by MMFA Senior Fellow Matt Gertz, Carlson can be seen going off on the lack of diversity of Martha’s Vineyard.
In the segment, Carlson first blasted Martha’s Vineyard for its Democratic proclivities, noting, “Joe Biden took 70% of the vote on that small Massachusetts island over the past four years, according to FEC data. 92% of all donations from its biggest town, Edgartown Massachusetts, went to the Democratic Party.”
He then pivoted to the apparent lack of diversity in MV, saying, “So you probably imagine Edgartown is pretty diverse. I mean, the Obamas live on the island right now. In fact, we checked at last count, Edgartown is 95.7% white. What century is this? As of 2019, only 3% of all people, all residents in Edgartown, were born outside of this country. So do the math. That’s 17 people total. That’s effectively zero diversity, which means zero strength.”
He finished by suggesting that residents there “are begging for more diversity” before asking, “Why not send migrants there in huge numbers? Let’s start with 300,000 and move up from there as the island gets stronger.”
DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw seemed to make direct reference to Carlson in a tweet that defended the stunt designed to bring attention to the immigration issues and “troll” his liberal opponents. Pushaw tweeted “Martha’s Vineyard residents should be thrilled about this. They vote for sanctuary cities — they get a sanctuary city of their own. And illegal aliens will increase the town’s diversity, which is a strength. Right?”
Carlson overlooked that the town of Oak Bluffs in Martha’s Vineyard has a tradition of being a safe harbor for Black people that goes back to the 1600s. In fact, the movie A Place of Our Own, directed by Stanely Nelson, explores is rich and fascinating history regarding race, and social and cultural issues.
Massachusetts State Representative Dylan Fernandes shared an image of how his district in Martha’s Vineyard is supporting the migrants that have arrived in their community. “These immigrants were not met with chaos, they were met with compassion. We are a community & nation that is stronger because of immigrants,” he added. “The community coming together with water, food, interpretation help, & resources to support these families represent the best of America.”
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