Immigration

Aguero spent his life in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital. The economic crisis and political unrest gripping the country pushed nearly the entire population into poverty, including his family. Millions have fled. Aguero, too, began searching for a way out.

There was one, but it was dangerous. Aguero and his wife left Venezuela in July hoping to reach the United States. For weeks, they had nowhere to sleep. At one point, they were sent from Chile back to Colombia. From there, they traveled through all of Central America. Finally, after riding a notoriously dangerous train through Mexico, they reached the Rio Grande…

Aguero and his wife were eventually taken by immigration agents to San Antonio, where they were reunited with Aguero’s 23-year-old brother Rafael, who had begun his journey northward a few weeks earlier. The couple spent 72 hours in a migrant aid center before being put out on the street, where they joined Rafael, who was scraping together cash to buy food by working whatever odd jobs he could find.

A blond-haired woman approached the trio on the streets of San Antonio and introduced herself as “Perla.” She asked if they needed help. She offered them a hotel room while she made plans to take them elsewhere. Days later, Aguero, Maria and Rafael boarded a plane to an unknown destination…

Lima was born in New York to Bolivian immigrant parents. When she was growing up, her family sometimes spent vacations on Martha’s Vineyard. Lima’s elder sister, a chef, later settled there, as did Lima, joining a community of about 20,000 year-round residents. Seven years ago, she began volunteering with the local homeless shelter…

That first night was spent trying to reassure people who didn’t understand where they were, Lima said. She tried to let them know they were in good hands, but also that they were free to go if they wished.

She was back the following morning at 6:30. It didn’t matter that she had to work to do — she wanted to show the migrants that they were welcome. She spent the next 15 hours there, helping manage a stream of volunteers, donors and reporters. She started making an Excel spreadsheet of what people had offered to donate: blankets, spare rooms, books, diapers, legal help, therapy.

In the evening, she pulled up an empty gray foldable chair next to her and invited the migrants to talk about what they’d gone through. She heard about people getting robbed and tricked and watching their friends struggle to survive. So many had started the journey with more people. Some were kidnapped or drowned or died of dehydration.

Since the moment she heard about the arrival of the migrants, Lima had been in a whir of motion. “Then you have moments when you’re hearing the stories,” she said. Those are “moments where your heart stops.”…

Friday morning began with breakfast provided by a nearby golf course. Meanwhile, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) had arranged for voluntary transportation to Joint Base Cape Cod, a military base that is designated as an emergency shelter. The state has said it will provide the migrants with food as well as access to health care and legal help…

The waters now seemed friendlier than they did when Aguero had landed at the airport two days earlier. He still didn’t know exactly where they were going. Some of his fellow migrants had learned from volunteers that they would be staying on a military base. They didn’t know what that would mean, how long they would stay there or how safe they would be. On their long journeys to the United States, military officials had not always been friendly.

Aguero wasn’t nervous about what was next, he said, because he was in America. Even with all the confusion of the past few days, everything would work out.

Yep. If he wanted to make a point there’s Nantucket right next door. But then he’d alienate all his wealthy Wall Street friends.

— Sherry Lind (@sherry_lind) September 16, 2022

sociopaths all the way down https://t.co/n1WNs9ezHg

— bearded guy that yells at school board meetings (@CalmSporting) September 17, 2022

Migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard have been voluntarily taken to Joint Base Cape Cod where they will have access to health care, crisis counseling and legal help. My story: https://t.co/HEapedpzz1 #wcvb

— Sharman Sacchetti (@SharmanTV) September 17, 2022

Joint Base Cape Cod is run by the National Guard. The base includes “a small town usually reserved for housing soldiers and their families. It has provided humanitarian assistance in the past, including when residents from Louisiana stayed there after fleeing Hurricane Katrina in 2005.”

I’ve stayed there with my family for a Wampanoag language immersion camp. It’s very nice. Like a college campus

— 7aFoods (@7aFoods) September 16, 2022

sending these folks directly into the arms of a bunch of high end lawyers just might have been a tactical error

— ??????? (@drexl2517) September 16, 2022

Republicans don’t want to talk about abortion so they’re turning the racism dial up.

— Jort-Michel Connard ?? (@torriangray) September 16, 2022

This November, vote against cruelty.

— Neera Tanden?? (@neeratanden) September 16, 2022