________________________
________________________
When roughly 50 migrants were flown from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, under a new program by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to highlight illegal immigration, they were given a brochure about housing, cash assistance and jobs for refugees.
But there’s one problem with what the brochure was promoting: The migrants aren’t anywhere close to being classified as refugees, a specific term under U.S. immigration law. The implicit promises of help, therefore, were misleading and potentially criminal, according to Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit legal aid group representing 30 of the people who landed on the Massachusetts island last week.
Above left:
• Income support for refugees for additional 90 days beyond the normal 30 days by reception and placement assistance.
• Up to eight months of cash assistance for income-eligible refugees with dependent children.
• Services for early employment and long-term self-sufficiency through English and literacy instruction employment related case management access to vocational skills training and job placement.
