The Woman Who Allegedly Helped Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Arrange Overseas Flights to Martha’s Vineyard According to reports, a former combat drug and counterintelligence agent of the US Army has been identified as Perla Huerta.
DeSantis sent asylum seekers to the voluntary community to show solidarity with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign for bus migrants in Washington, D.C., New York City and Chicago, to pressure Democrats to toughen border policies Can go
One migrant, who identified himself only as Luis, had previously said that he and his family were approached outside a San Antonio shelter by a woman named Perla, who supported them for 90 days, flying to Massachusetts. Help was offered, work permits and English lessons.
The woman, now identified as Perla Huerta, had traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq and was discharged last month after two decades in the US military. The New York Times reportedCiting his military record.
A man briefed on the San Antonio Sheriff’s Office investigation into the case confirmed his identity to the newspaper.
Several immigrants from Martha’s Vineyard photographed Huerta — who lives in the Tampa area — when she was being recruited in San Antonio, Rachel Self, an attorney representing the migrants, told The Times.
Also a friend of Huerta confirmed to CNN That the woman in a photo is an expatriate that has been provided to the network is Huerta.
Two news outlets said they had not been able to reach Huerta.
A man who said he worked with Huerta told The Times that he first met her on September 10 outside the Migrant Resource Center in San Antonio, where he asked her to help recruit other immigrants. said.
He said he never mentioned working on behalf of the Sunshine State.
“If I had known, I would not have been involved,” the man told the newspaper, adding that Huerta “wanted to help people move north.”
According to The Times, the woman provided migrants with free meals at McDonald’s and accommodations at the La Quinta Inn before their flight to Massachusetts.
The newspaper said asylum seekers were reportedly given a map of the US and a folder the size of Martha’s Vineyard, as well as a brochure titled “Refugee Migrant Benefits” in English and Spanish.
The brochure, reviewed by The Times, promised “up to eight months of cash assistance” for “income-eligible” refugees in Massachusetts.
“We were tricked into Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico – and then the United States,” Carlos Guanaguane, 25, who was approached by the woman in San Antonio, told the paper.
The outlet said the migrants who were recruited in San Antonio landed in Crestview, Florida, and then South Carolina, before reaching Martha’s Vineyard on September 14.
The Times, citing Florida state records, reported that an airline charter company called Vertol Systems was paid $615,000 on September 8 and $950,000 in less than two weeks for flights to Martha’s Vineyard.
The outlet said state officials have only acknowledged the initial flights and have not addressed plans for others.
Vertol’s owner, James Montgomery, did not respond to messages from the paper seeking comment.