DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged additional migrant flights on Sept. 16, 2022, two days after Florida transported approximately 50 Venezuelan asylum seekers from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
DeSantis said Florida would use the $12 million lawmakers had appropriated for migrant transportation and suggested that additional flights and buses could follow.
“These are only preliminary efforts,” the governor said during a Daytona Beach news conference.
The comments expanded upon Florida’s initial Martha’s Vineyard operation, which generated national attention and competing allegations about whether the passengers fully understood their destination and the assistance awaiting them.
What Happened on the Martha’s Vineyard Flights
Florida contracted with Vertol Systems Company to coordinate two charter flights on Sept. 14, 2022.
The passengers were recruited in San Antonio after federal immigration officials had processed and released them into the United States while their immigration cases proceeded. Most were Venezuelan asylum seekers.
The flights stopped in Florida before continuing to Massachusetts. The passengers did not originate in Florida.
DeSantis defended the operation as a response to the Biden administration’s border policies and said Florida representatives had been identifying migrants in Texas who were likely to travel to Florida.
He characterized Martha’s Vineyard as a “sanctuary” destination and argued that Democratic-led communities should share responsibility for migrants released into the country.
Florida Said the Travel Was Voluntary
The DeSantis administration maintained that each passenger voluntarily accepted the flight, signed a consent form and received information identifying Martha’s Vineyard as the destination.
Migrants and their attorneys later disputed the administration’s description. They alleged that recruiters made misleading promises about employment, housing and government assistance and that some passengers did not understand where they were being taken.
Those allegations became part of a federal civil-rights lawsuit. DeSantis and Florida officials denied wrongdoing and continued to maintain that the flights were lawful and voluntary.
The contrasting accounts should be clearly attributed. The consent forms support the state’s position that passengers agreed to travel, while the lawsuit alleged that their consent was obtained through misleading representations.
Questions Surrounded the $12 Million Appropriation
Florida’s 2022 budget appropriated $12 million to the Department of Transportation for a program facilitating the transport of “unauthorized aliens from this state” consistent with federal law.
Because the Martha’s Vineyard passengers were recruited in Texas, critics questioned whether the flights complied with the appropriation’s geographical language.
DeSantis rejected that interpretation, arguing that many migrants entering through Texas would eventually travel to Florida and that the state was acting before they arrived.
A subsequent Florida Senate analysis reported that approximately $1.565 million had been disbursed from the original appropriation by Jan. 31, 2023.
In February 2023, Florida lawmakers replaced the original budget language with the Unauthorized Alien Transport Program. The new law authorized transportation of federally processed migrants within the United States, approved payments made under the earlier program and appropriated another $10 million.
The legislative change caused a state lawsuit challenging the original appropriation to be dismissed as moot.
Florida Later Organized Flights to California
DeSantis’ prediction of additional transportation operations was partially fulfilled in June 2023.
Florida’s Division of Emergency Management acknowledged organizing two flights that carried 36 migrants from Texas to Sacramento, California. Florida officials again said the passengers traveled voluntarily.
California officials and migrant advocates disputed that characterization and alleged that some passengers had been misled. No criminal charges resulted from the California flights.
Legal Case Continued Against the Contractor
Three migrants and the advocacy organization Alianza Americas filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis, other Florida officials and Vertol Systems.
In 2024, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs dismissed DeSantis and other state defendants because the Massachusetts court lacked personal jurisdiction over them. The ruling did not determine that all conduct alleged in the lawsuit was lawful.
Burroughs allowed several claims against Vertol Systems to continue, including civil-rights conspiracy and civil-conspiracy allegations. The court concluded that the plaintiffs had made sufficient allegations at that stage for the claims against the contractor to proceed.
After additional filings, the court again declined in March 2025 to exercise jurisdiction over DeSantis and the other Florida defendants. As of May 2026, the federal case remained active against Vertol Systems and had entered discovery proceedings.
Separately, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in Texas recommended possible unlawful-restraint charges following an investigation. In September 2025, the Bexar County district attorney announced that no criminal charges would be pursued because of insufficient evidence.
Florida’s Current Program Is More Limited
Florida lawmakers changed the transportation program again in 2025.
Under Section 908.13 of the Florida Statutes, the Division of Emergency Management can assist with migrant transportation only when Immigration and Customs Enforcement specifically requests it.
ICE must reimburse Florida for the actual transportation cost, and the operation must remain under direct federal control and supervision. The current provision is scheduled for repeal on June 30, 2027.
That structure differs substantially from the state-directed Martha’s Vineyard operation that prompted DeSantis’ promise of additional flights in 2022.
Related Coverage
- Florida Flies Dozens of Migrants to Martha’s Vineyard
- DeSantis Announces Legislation to Counter Biden’s Border Policies
- Proposed Florida Law Would Restrict Transportation of Undocumented Migrants
- Florida Leads Nation in ICE Cooperation as Immigration Enforcement Expands
Editor’s note: This article was substantially revised on Aug. 2, 2026, to clarify the passengers’ immigration status, explain the disputed consent claims and document subsequent legislation and litigation.
