PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — News of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sending planes with migrants out of the state and into Massachusetts is sparking conversation at the Waros Grill Venezuelan Food Truck along Military Trail.
"We are not the bad people," Mauricio Rodriguez, the co-owner of Waros Grill, said. "We want to work here. We want to grow up here. We want to grow a family, live the American dream."
Rodriguez left Venezuela to escape crime and political turmoil and has called West Palm Beach home for five years.
Now, he worries for the future of his people.
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"We learn from you or maybe you could learn something from us, so that's good, that's great," Rodriguez said. "It's going to be a stronger country if you have different cultures, if you have a different nationality or different experiences."
Officials in Martha's Vineyard said they weren't given a heads up about the arrivals but set up temporary shelters with the help of neighbors, volunteers and activists.
Not everyone disagrees with the governor's move, like supporter Donald Tarca.
"You send them to a very affluent neighborhood, right, so if any place would be able to help these people, I think it was an excellent place to go," Tarca said.
Martha's Vineyard is a "sanctuary destination" — a safe space for undocumented immigrants.
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It is something that DeSantis said Florida is not.
"Nobody wants people to come to this country more than I do, to become Americans," Tarca said. "I think we should be sanctuary cities for people that came here legally."
Tarca said the country is experiencing a border crisis and events like this shine a light on the issue.
"A lot of these mayors that are having an issue with this said they were sanctuary cities, but now they're complaining about it. You can't have it both ways," Tarca said. "They say they're a sanctuary city, but then when the immigrants arrive they start asking the federal government for more help."
