SAN ANTONIO – Migrants are being lured and lied to, in order to fill busses and flights transporting them out of state, according to the League of United Latin American Citizens.
One Venezuelan man at the Migrant resource center in San Antonio shared with KSAT what he was offered, a deal he believed was too good to be true.
“No one is going to gift you four days at a hotel with free food, then they’re going to pay for a flight because you’re an immigrant, no they’re lies. they’re doing it for another purpose,” said the Venezuelan migrant who did not want to give his name.
The migrant explained that a few women approached him two to three blocks away from the resource center. They did not say where the hotel was or where the flight would go.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) said they have been warning asylum seekers at the Eagle pass refugee center of the misinformation. They add that reports of a woman named Perla offering work, money, and other incentives have come up. They are now offering a $5,000 reward for information that will lead to the identification of that woman.
“If you sign this voluntary document to transfer you to New York, we’re going to give you jobs we’re going to give you money you’re going to have housing everything that you need will be provided to you in New York so sign here so we can put you on a bus and you can go there and that’s a lie” said Hilda Ramierz-Duarte with LULAC
The Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar is launching his own investigation on migrants being misinformed. It comes after flights from Kelly field here in San Antonio took about 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts last week. The flights were a surprise to Martha’s Vineyard officials. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has taken credit for organizing the flights.
“A migrant was paid, what we would call a bird dog fee, to recruit approximately 50 migrants of the area around the migrant resource center on San Pedro. Under False pretenses is the information that we have that they were promised work that they were promised the solution to several other problems,” said Sheriff Salazar.
As for the Venezuelan man we interviewed at the migrant resource center, he has a message to Governors transporting migrants and individuals offering false hope.
“Stop doing it. If you’re going to help people, do it out of your heart... don’t utilize us immigrants. We don’t want to be used as toys in your political games.” said the Venezuelan man.