Community members told the Washington Post that most of those arrested in the Massachusetts island communities “had no criminal record and were stopped on their way to work.”
The liberal residents of Martha’s Vineyard are reportedly outraged after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on the island and neighboring Nantucket saw dozens of illegal immigrants apprehended.
Community members told The Washington Post that most of those arrested in the Massachusetts island communities "had no criminal record and were stopped on their way to work." Among those taken into custody were a gang member and a child sex offender, ICE said.
The outlet reported, "The arrests hit a nerve in a liberal enclave known for welcoming everyone: presidents — former president Barack Obama has an oceanfront property here — LGBTQ+ activists, racial minorities, celebrities and a large cluster of immigrants from Brazil." In the wake of the raid, residents warned friends to stay off the roads and held a protest at the ferry docks where agents were loading illegal immigrants onto boats.
Longtime resident Charlie Giordano, who filmed himself heckling agents at the ferry docks, told the outlet, "It’s bullying. I don’t know how many are illegal or legal, I don’t give a sh*t. But I do care about how they’re treated."
Martha’s Vineyard is home to a number of Brazilians who began arriving on the island four decades ago "as hyperinflation and economic stagnation wrought havoc in their country," The Washington Post reported. "Many arrived on tourist or work visas planning to return home but instead found a new one."
The outlet described the businesses these Brazilians started as "crucial to daily life in a resort town," including cleaning services and businesses that offer food, and many restaurant menus offer Brazilian-inspired options.
"The hospital posts signs in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. The school system employs Portuguese-speaking translators to assist Brazilian families, whose children make up roughly half the student population."
One business owner who only provided her initials to the outlet, MN, because she, like others, feared being targeted by immigration authorities, said, "The American people love us because we work so hard to help the community prosper and grow. This was a safe place."
In the wake of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sending two planes of illegal immigrants to the island in 2022, county management said they were facing an "unexpected urgent humanitarian situation" and desperately needed volunteers. A wealthy Democratic socialite, Sarah Goulet, created a GoFundMe at the time to "help Martha’s Vineyard migrants."
Then-Governor Charlie Baker called in the National Guard to assist in relocating the illegal immigrants off the island. The Washington Post said that the residents on the island had "welcomed many of the migrants with jobs and housing."
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