Saturday 17 September 2022 08:23 PM Illegal migrants sent to Martha's Vineyard by DeSantis go shopping at Cape Cod ... trends now
Five of the Venezuelan migrants shipped from Martha’s Vineyard to Joint Base Cape Cod today enjoyed a shopping trip to a nearby mall – as revealed in DailyMail.com pictures.
A family of three and two young males – among the 50 originally flown to the exclusive Massachusetts island by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday - strolled around a Target excitedly gazing at the goods.
They were dropped off at smart Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis in the same yellow coach that had whisked them by ferry from Martha’s Vineyard the previous day to the massive military base on the mainland.
The bus also stopped at an urgent care center on the way to the mall to drop off five other migrants for evaluation after they had complained of various illnesses and conditions.
One of the migrants at the mall, Jean Carlo, 35, told DailyMail.com exclusively as he walked among the aisles in Target: ‘We are so very happy to be here at the mall and in America.
‘We are just going shopping, looking for household items. We are trying to set up our situation.’
Nancy and son Fabian browse the shelves at Target in Cape Cod on Saturday. They were among 50 Venezuelan migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Fabian's dad Jean Carlo told DailMail.com: ‘We are so very happy to be here at the mall and in America. We are just going shopping, looking for household items. We are trying to set up our situation’
Nancy initially had issues getting a debit card to work but a clerk was able to help the transaction go through
‘We are very happy at the military base. It’s very good for us there,' said the father, who does not speak English
They were dropped off at smart Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis in the same yellow coach that had whisked them by ferry from Martha’s Vineyard the previous day to the massive military base on the mainland where they are now being housed
Carlo, in the store with wife Nancy and son Fabian, 11, continued: ‘We do not have any family in the United States, but we are determined to stay here. We do not want to go back. We want to work hard.
‘We are very happy at the military base. It’s very good for us there.’
The father, who does not speak English, was reluctant to give too many details about the exact route his family took from their home in the Venezuelan capital Caracas in order to cross the border from Mexico into Texas.
But he did tell DailyMail.com exclusively: ‘We walked all the way, through jungle and through desert. It took us more than six weeks and it was very tough.’
Carlo spoke as son Fabian delightedly sorted through DVDs before picking up a Lego set featuring Marvel characters that he pored over. The family headed to the cash register to pay for it, but mom Nancy could not get her Visa debit card to work.
The Lego was returned to the shelves and Fabian selected Disney book Gravity Falls, Journal 3 instead. This time Nancy went to a store assistant who helped her process the sale with the same card.
Carlo would not say if they had been given money to purchase anything, although many migrants do have access to their own accounts in their home countries.
The family, seen shopping Saturday, said they walked to the US border from Venezuela, a harrowing six-week journey
Carlo (second from right), in the store with wife Nancy and son Fabian, 11, said: ‘We do not have any family in the United States, but we are determined to stay here. We do not want to go back. We want to work hard.'
The family would not say if they had been given money to purchase anything, although many migrants do have access to their own accounts in their home countries
One of the male migrants with the family, who did not want to be named, told DailyMail.com he wanted to buy cigars and was looking for a Western Union office in order to get cash.
‘We are being well treated,’ he said. ‘The accommodation at the base is good. The system is treating us well and everyone we have met is trying to help with our situation.’
Local shopper Chris Gary, 35, in the store with his own family, told DailyMail.com: ‘I don’t agree with these migrants getting sent here. I am a supporter of Ron DeSantis, but that wasn’t right.
‘However migrants are going to come here no matter what.
‘I think he chose the Vineyard because Barack Obama has a place over there and he though, oh we’ll just stick them over there and see what he thinks about it.’
Gary, a contractor married to wife Bethany, cited local homelessness and the paradox of the migrants being taken to the military base.
He insisted: ‘I don’t think we should take care of them. There are so many homeless people here. If you drive round here you’ll see there’s been a ton of homeless people this past summer, there has never been that before.
‘So there are legit homeless, they are not going to get a shelter at Joint Base Cape Cod. We need to take care of our own people before we take care of everybody else.’
Fabian and his mom Nancy, two of the migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard, are seen shopping on Saturday
After a payment issue with a set of Legos, young Fabian selected Disney book Gravity Falls, Journal 3 instead. This time mom Nancy went to a store assistant who helped her process the sale with the same card
Local shopper Chris Gary, 35, in the store with his own family, told DailyMail.com: ‘I don’t agree with these migrants getting sent here. I am a supporter of Ron DeSantis, but that wasn’t right. However migrants are going to come here no matter what'
And he believed local resources would be badly stretched if a significant number of migrants were moved to the area.
