Local officials and residents of Martha's Vineyard jumped into action this week after a charter plane carrying about 50 Venezuelan migrants arrived unannounced to the island in an apparent political stunt by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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State Sen. Julian Cyr, who represents the Cape and Islands, said on Greater Boston that migrants have been treated in a compassionate way, and whatever message DeSantis was trying to send didn't quite land.
"We've seen these fundamentally racist tactics and xenophobic tactics used time and again and they go back awhile," Cyr told Jim Braude.
"This is just the worst of American politics and it's just really unfortunate. It's just really discouraging. This is not who we are in Massachusetts. You're seeing Democrats, Republicans, all of us responding in a bipartisan compassionate way," said Cyr.
DeSantis took full credit for sending the plane from Texas, and many of the migrants said they were mislead and given false promises about heading up north.
"We really have to reject this kind of politics. This is not who we are as Cape Codders and islanders. This is not who we are as Americans," Cyr said.
Watch: Martha’s Vineyard officials and residents welcome migrants unexpectedly sent by Florida’s governor
