Reporter on MSNBC says migrants 'not angry at DeSantis,' but are thanking him for Martha's Vineyard flight
'I'm not complaining,' one migrant told reporter Cristina Londoño of the Martha's Vineyard flight
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Telemundo reporter appearing on MSNBC appeared to throw cold water on the liberal argument that the migrants Gov. Ron DeSantis flew to Martha's Vineyard, Mass. are wholly upset at the Florida Republican.
Many Democrats across the country have been crying foul over the move, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who floated the idea that DeSantis be federally investigated for alleged kidnapping.
Appearing with MSNBC anchor Jose Diaz-Balart from the liberal island enclave, Telemundo reporter Cristina Londoño said that initially, the migrants on the plane did not know what or where Martha's Vineyard was, but some were appreciative of the relocation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Some thought they had just landed in New York or somewhere [else] – They didn’t know this was an island," Londoño said, adding that the group has reportedly since been moved to an air base near Cape Cod, Mass. and been given new clothes, cell phones and the ability to speak with attorneys.
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Illegal immigrants arrive at Martha's Vineyard Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (Video obtained by Fox News)
Some migrants reportedly said they were "brought to paradise," in the reporter's words.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When asked by Londoño if they feel "hurt" by relocation to Martha's Vineyard, one man responded, "No, not really."
"Instead of hurting us, they did us a favor, so I'm not complaining," he said.
A woman recounted to the reporter how she first arrived in Dukes County, Mass., saying people told them to go to a hotel, where they later "got in a truck, [went] to the airport, and they took us here."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, a group of men who were reportedly from Venezuela did object to one characterization from the right of their journey to the U.S.
"We didn't cross irregularly," one of the men said, claiming he and others formally presented themselves for asylum to border officials. He showed Londoño purported immigration documentation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While the reporter noted many Massachusetts locals and activists are decrying DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, she followed up by reiterating that a number of the migrants don't feel entirely the same way.
"I can tell you they are not angry at Ron DeSantis, they are actually thanking him for having brought them to Martha's Vineyard, where they were very well-received," she told Diaz-Balart, who is the brother of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
"But other people, they’re saying they’re being used as political pawns – they don’t resent it for now, and they know they’re the lucky ones."
One Massachusetts lawmaker who is upset with DeSantis is Sen. Elizabeth Warren. She accused him of "exploiting vulnerable people for political stunts."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, when Warren posited that the Bay State is "fully capable of handling asylum seekers," OutKick founder Clay Travis remarked on his radio show that her state should therefore be the recipient of many more flights.
"Why not send every single illegal immigrant right now to Massachusetts so that Elizabeth Warren can make sure that this ‘repulsive and cruel system’ is taken care of?" he said Thursday.