Immigrant rights’ group raises concerns about migrant-relocation flyers in Florida
A South Florida-based immigrant rights’ group says it’s concerned about flyers that were circulated in Central Florida offering free migrant-relocation trips. And it also wants to identify if anyone else is receiving the flyers in the state.
The Florida Immigrant Coalition’s effort to gather more details comes after the Orlando Sentinel reported this week that several entities across Central Florida — ranging from churches, law enforcement and a nonprofit — have received queries from an organization calling itself My Bright Horizons.
Records show it is linked to Access Restoration Services, a Texas-based company that is one of three firms receiving a lucrative contract under a program authorizing the state to transport migrants to other states, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The flyers, distributed in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, promised the program offering relocation was “entirely voluntary, and individuals will be treated with compassion and dignity.”
The Florida Immigrant Coalition, based in Miami, is a statewide alliance of more than 80 member organizations seeking fair treatment of all people, and it says it “strongly opposes” such relocation services, because of concerns that migrants could be misled. It is asking anyone who has been provided such flyers, or offered such services, to contact its hotline at 1-888-600-5762.
It remains unclear unclear how many organizations have received the flyers, and whether anyone has accepted the offer to be relocated. “We want to understand how it’s happening. Ears to the ground,” Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, said Thursday. Petit also said the hotline serves as “someplace to call and ask questions.”
Related Articles
The coaltion warned people to be vigilant of any “unsolicited offers or proposals, especially those promising free relocation services,” and to “refrain from making any sudden commitments or agreements without thoroughly understanding the terms and potential consequences. Take the time to carefully evaluate any proposals.”
The Orlando Sentinel reported that ARS directed questions on its operations in Florida to the state’s Division of Emergency Management, which didn’t respond earlier this week to an emailed inquiry.
Florida’s migrant flights effort first drew attention in 2022 when officials set up trips from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, carrying 49 mostly Venezuelan migrants to the island. DeSantis last year signed a bill expanding the migrant relocation program, which let the state move migrants from anywhere in the country. Republican lawmakers who backed the program’s expansion said it would help move migrants to sanctuary cities, while Democrats referred to the initiative as a political stunt.
Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash
