An exploration of the latest crisis by Todd Watkins

Watching the radical left collapse under the weight of its own impossible ideology is both entertaining and satisfying.  

We know this ideology is unrealistic and unsustainable, and this is always dramatically revealed when America's Marxists are confronted with having to deal with the outcomes of that ideology, by themselves.  

Instead of finding space on the billionaire, elite island of Martha’s Vineyard last week for fifty Venezuelan illegal aliens, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts unceremoniously removed them from the elitist enclave 44 hours after their arrival.

It wasn’t The Red Cross, Catholic Charities, or any other volunteer or non-governmental organization who loaded up the Venezuelans and drove them away.  It was the Massachusetts National Guard (MANG) and they took them to Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC).  That’s a military installation, not a hotel or a shelter.  

To summarize this event for discussion, fifty illegal aliens showed up at Martha’s Vineyard, Then the Massachusetts Governor activated the MANG to collect them and drive them away to a military base.  This is significant, and there are questions we should be asking.

First, we must establish a few assumed facts:

1. These are citizens of Venezuela who illegally entered the US.  They were apprehended by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), processed and released.  
2. The Venezuelans were transported to Florida by DHS and left there for Florida to deal with.  
3. Florida then relocated them to Massachusetts.  
4. Since they had already been apprehended and processed by CBP, DHS is not going to take them into custody again.  

It is important to note that these fifty Venezuelans were voluntarily transported to Martha’s Vineyard.  Florida authorities did not take them into custody and forcibly move them. Why? Because the Obama administration made very clear in 2011-2012, through a court case against the State of Arizona, that immigration is the sole responsibility of the US Government:

States have no authority when it comes to immigration.  

As a result of that decision, there was no authority for Florida officials to seize these Venezuelans and move them to Massachusetts. Florida offered them a ride to Martha’s Vineyard, and the Venezuelans accepted.

Clearly, the good people of Martha’s Vineyard were not happy about this arrangement. Their disapproval was enough to compel the governor of Massachusetts to declare an emergency and mobilize his National Guard.  

But what was the emergency?  Loitering? Trespassing?  These are local police matters, not the stuff of the military.  

And were they loitering or trespassing?  It doesn’t look that way. The local homeless shelter took them in and provided for them until the Army arrived. So, we have to ask:

Under what authority did the governor activate the MANG to round up and relocate these 50 Venezuelans?  

There was no disaster or civil unrest. Did the MANG act as some sort of publicly funded Uber to take them where they wanted to go? Clearly not. They were taken to JBCC at the direction of the governor. The ultra-elite Martha’s Vineyardians demanded that the illegal aliens be got rid of, so the governor used his position as the commander-in-chief of the MANG to remove them. 

These 50 Venezuelans were forced to leave Martha’s Vineyard. They did not choose to go to JBCC. The MANG took custody of them, loaded them into busses, and transported them there. If they are not free to come and go from JBCC, then they are detained. I know of no military authority to do any of this, certainly not within the US. Further, the MANG was not operating under Federal authority since it was the governor who called them.  

If the Governor and the MANG were acting under federal authority (Title 10), they would not have been permitted to take custody of or transport the Venezuelans. Transporting and detaining illegal aliens is a civilian federal law enforcement authority, and it all resides within DHS. The same DHS that released them into the US via Florida.

If we can look past the obvious hypocrisy of a liberal, sanctuary state reneging on its "'no human is illegal,' / 'diversity makes us stronger' / 'hate has no place here'” pledges, we see a state acting on its own initiative to remedy a problem created by the US Government.  

Massachusetts set a precedent. The Minutemen of the Revolution would be proud. 

No state should be obligated to absorb the dire consequences of the US Government abandoning its responsibility to secure our borders. While liberal politicians and pundits castigate Florida for shipping these illegal aliens to Martha’s Vineyard (and NYC, and DC, and Chicago), they have, in the same breath, tacitly given approval for the National Guard to round them up and secure them on a military base.  

This is a precedent that other states must follow.  You needn’t be forced to absorb the US Government’s border folly. You have the authority to reject these “deliveries” in the interests of your own state’s sovereignty. That is the impact of Martha's Migrants.

No state is obliged to accommodate people illegally in this country, and by extension, illegally in that state — they shouldn’t be here, whether here is Martha's Vineyard or Tia Martha's in Del Rio.

There should be no expectation for any state to abide by federal statutes and policies that harm their state; we cannot be forced to facilitate our own demise.

The governor of Massachusetts has set, albeit likely unwittingly, an example for other states to follow: Take matters into your own hands and protect your sovereignty and the wellbeing of your citizens.

To be clear, I'd rather the conservative states of Arizona, Texas, and Florida refrain from sending illegal aliens to sanctuary destinations, no matter how amusing it is. In so doing, they move them deeper into the interior and complete the smuggling cycle using taxpayer resources.

Rather, the best scenario for Americans is to return them to the nearest DHS facility, and force this administration to send them back to their native countries. Alternatively, send them back to Mexico and force Mexico to take action. 

Etiher way, the left has set the precedent. The National Guard is in play.

Todd Watkins was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ where his father served as a police officer for 29 years. He attended Christian grade school and high school and joined the US Army shortly after graduating where he was stationed in Europe during the end of the Cold War. In 1997, Todd joined the US Border Patrol where he served for 24 years until his retirement in May of 2021. During his career with the USBP, Todd served as a frontline agent on the southern and northern borders; a special operations team member (including search & rescue and air mobile operations); an intelligence officer; a first-line supervisor; a special operations team commander; an intelligence supervisor; a second-line supervisor; adjutant to the Chief of the US Border Patrol; a military liaison officer to US Special Operations Command North; an emergency manager; and a national headquarters staff officer. He holds a BA in English and a MA in Emergency Management and Homeland Security, both from Arizona State University.