Sen. Ted Cruz deletes tweet falsely claiming ‘Dems’ activated National Guard to ‘interdict’ migrants on Martha’s Vineyard

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has deleted a tweet in which he criticized and falsely claimed that “Dems” activated the National Guard to “interdict” migrants in Massachusetts.

On Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, activated up to 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to assist in the utilization of Joint Base Cape Cod as a temporary shelter and humanitarian resources hub for the roughly 50 Venezuelan migrants who unexpectedly arrived on Martha’s Vineyard earlier this week.

The island itself does not have sufficient resources to support the migrants, the Baker administration said as it announced the role that Joint Base Cape Cod and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency will play in coordinating the delivery of food, shelter and other “essential services.”

“We are grateful to the providers, volunteers and local officials that stepped up on Martha’s Vineyard over the past few days to provide immediate services to these individuals,” Baker said in a statement Friday morning. “Our administration has been working across state government to develop a plan to ensure these individuals will have access to the services they need going forward, and Joint Base Cape Cod is well equipped to serve these needs.”

Daniel Dale, a reporter for CNN, tweeted Saturday that Cruz had deleted a tweet in which he, “falsely blasted ‘Dems’ for activating the National Guard.”

Cruz later tweeted that his wording was inaccurate because “Baker called up the national guard, not Biden” and that he stood by his point about “Dem hypocrisy.”

Joint Base Cape Cod has previously helped Louisiana residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It has also functioned as an “alternative care medical site” for Bay Staters during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Baker administration said.

Following the arrival of the migrants, several Massachusetts elected officials and others took to social media to condemn Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ move to fly the migrants to Martha’s Vineyard.

“Transporting undocumented immigrants across state lines against their will…. isn’t that the very definition of human trafficking,” Sen. Adam Gomez wrote on Twitter.

Gov. Ron DeSantis took credit for flying the immigrants to the island, according to a statement sent to MassLive. DeSantis sent two planes of immigrants as part of “the state’s relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations,” the statement said.

Rep. Bill Keating condemned DeSantis on Twitter, stating that: “History does not look kindly on leaders who treat human beings like cargo, loading them up and sending them a thousand miles away without telling them their destination.”

MassLive reporter Alison Kutznitz contributed to this report.

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