Texas sheriff opens investigation into Florida flying migrants to Martha’s Vineyard

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• Judy Woodruff:

  Outrage over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' decision to fly dozens of migrants to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts last week is facing legal challenges.

  Yesterday, some of the migrants filed a class-action case against DeSantis and other Florida officials, accusing them of discrimination and of violating the migrants' due process rights. And an investigation is under way in Texas, where the flights originated.

  Stephanie Sy has more on that.

• Stephanie Sy:

  Advocates for the migrants say they were tricked into boarding charter planes that left from San Antonio and eventually arrived in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, last Wednesday.

  Now Sheriff Javier Salazar, a Democrat serving in Bexar County, says he's launched an investigation into possible crimes. His jurisdiction includes San Antonio.

  And the sheriff joins me now.

  Sheriff Salazar, thank you so much for joining the "NewsHour."

  I'm going to jump right in. Why have you decided to launch a criminal investigation? What laws do you think may have been broken?

• Javier Salazar, Bexar County, Texas, Sheriff:

  Well, just the way we have the obligation to do whenever a criminal allegation comes to us is, we have to investigate.

  Some of them end in criminal charges. Some of them are unfounded. At this point, it's way too early to tell if this — which way this one will go. Being that our alleged victims and/or witnesses are on the East Coast of the country.

  So, what's at stake right now is, we have to determine, did someone with boots on the ground in Bexar County break the law? If they did, we have to take in what it is that the victims and witnesses are telling us and then make that determination, is, was a law broken while they were here in our county?

• Stephanie Sy:

  OK, as you may know, Sheriff, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is now named in a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of these migrants.

  And the complaint alleges this, that he and other officials — quote — "designed and executed a premeditated fraudulent and illegal scheme for the sole purpose of advancing their own personal, financial and political interest."

  Sheriff Salazar, is that the kind of thing you're looking into? And is Governor DeSantis a suspect?

• Javier Salazar:

  Well, no, I mean, I think to say that the Governor DeSantis is a suspect is a long stretch.

  What my concern is and what I have authority of is my corner of the world, which is Bexar County. My concern is, did somebody with feet planted on Bexar County soil break the law or not? At present, we're being told that that's a distinct possibility by these folks speaking to us through their attorneys.

  But, very soon, we will have the opportunity to talk directly to them, find out exactly what they were told and what was done with them and to them while they were here in Bexar County. And then we make that determination.

  Beyond that, anything that may have occurred with them in Florida, anything that may have occurred with them in Martha's Vineyard may be heartbreaking for us to hear, but I can't necessarily say that I have purview over it or that was illegal here in Bexar County. Our concern is what occurred in this jurisdiction.

• Stephanie Sy:

  Sure.

  But I have heard you say in a press conference earlier this week, Sheriff, that you have heard the allegation that these migrants were lured. You used that word, that they were lured under false pretenses into a hotel and then onto a flight. Is there any evidence of that yet?

• Javier Salazar:

  Well, that's the allegation, right?

  And, right now, the allegations are coming to us through attorneys that represent these folks. I have preliminarily seen some written — some partial written affidavits that would indicate the same thing. But, again, until we physically hear it from the victims and witness — or alleged victims and witnesses themselves, right now, all we have to go off is secondhand information through an attorney. While

  I have no doubt — no reason to doubt what these attorneys are telling us, for our purposes here, we need to hear it directly from the person affected.

• Stephanie Sy:

  Yes, but I do recall you describing the action of sending them to Martha's Vineyard on this flight as disgusting. So you have given your opinion that.

• Javier Salazar:

  Yes.

• Stephanie Sy:

  The governors of Texas, Florida, Arizona, they have been busing migrants out of their states to cities like Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago for months.

  And some Republicans have even pointed out that the Biden administration itself relocates migrants at times. Why is this flight, to you, sir, to Massachusetts different?

• Javier Salazar:

  Well, because if you're telling somebody you're going to point to this place on the map, and you're going to be treated this way, this way, and this way once you get there, here's what we're going to give you once you get there, and it's full disclosure, and they go with you willingly, that's one thing.

  And whether I agree with the politics behind that or not is immaterial. But when you lie to them to get them to that point on the map, and then what was promised to them doesn't come to fruition once they get there, that could be problematic. And, as I mentioned, it could, quite frankly, be criminal.

• Stephanie Sy:

  Authorities have stopped more than two million migrants at the Southern border this fiscal year.

  It may be political theater, but this whole Martha's Vineyard flight has drawn attention to what many would say is a broken immigration system. Is there good that could come out of this, Sheriff?

• Javier Salazar:

  Well, I mean, to make a point, you put together a presentation or a PowerPoint or you produce a video. You don't use real people to illustrate a point. You don't use real people.

  And then — as I mentioned, this is what the allegations are. You don't take real people in a country that they're unfamiliar with to a part of the country that they have never heard of, and drop them on an island that they know — they have no idea about. That's not what you do to make a point. These are human beings.

  And whether somebody agrees or disagrees with the fact that they have certain rights because of where they happen to be born on a globe is immaterial. They're human beings. And, in my opinion, they shouldn't be treated in such a manner, especially in light of the fact that the allegations that we're hearing is that they were lied to get them there.

• Stephanie Sy:

  Sheriff Javier Salazar of Bexar County, Texas, thank you so much for joining the "NewsHour."

• Javier Salazar:

  Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

• Judy Woodruff:

  And thank you to Stephanie Sy.