I DON'T THINK WE'RE IN TEXAS ANYMORE:

A 25-year-old undocumented migrant from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Eduardo set out almost three months ago for the United States. Eventually, he reached San Antonio, where he stayed in a migrant resource center for a week and a half. Authorities said they were going to be deported, but then he received word from an agency that he could go to Boston.

"We decided to accept it to see if there were more job opportunities there," he said. "Because here, we want to [find] work quickly."

They were put on a plane, believing they were headed for Boston. But during the flight, the captain said they were heading to Martha's Vineyard.

"We were all surprised because they had said Boston and they threw us here on the island," he said.

When they landed in the afternoon, vans came to pick them up and took them to Community Services of Martha's Vineyard.

"At first they were surprised, just like us," Eduardo said. "But about 15 or 20 minutes later they adapted, just like us. They began to make a list and called the local police and they have been very supportive. We hadn't eaten anything, they gave us food. They offered us to sleep, rest. They tested us for COVID. And they've been supporting us a lot, really a lot."

Word of the migrants' arrival ricocheted around the island. 911 was called. A child needed medical attention. The group was exhausted and hungry, and most of the young men wore light clothing that was ill-suited to the island's cooling weather. Vans arrived to transport them the 3 miles to the community services center, which quickly went into action.

Janet Constantino, a nurse practitioner and therapist, was at the center when the migrants arrived. The center reached out to Martha's Vineyard Regional High School for Spanish translators. She said many of the migrants hadn't eaten since 6 a.m.

Within 45 minutes, with the help of the high school, "we had everything set up," Constantino said. The migrants were fed in the center's parking lot, and tested for COVID.

They were eventually bused to the Harbor Homes winter homeless shelter at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Edgartown, where Belcanto was waiting. Army green cots were lined up in rows inside the church, and a play area was set up, with hula hoops for the children. Lawyers showed up too, to help expedite immigration paperwork.

"Some people have their passports and papers and [were] supposed to be in the New York immigration office on Wednesday," she said. "We're working on it step by step."

Meanwhile, local residents were doing what they could.

Maria Sanchez Roa, a senior at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, said she was in her room at home Wednesday "ignoring homework" when her mother came in and told her about the arrival of migrants. The community needed translators, so Justine DeOliveira, a Spanish teacher at the high school, recruited students to volunteer at St. Andrew's Wednesday night.

"I was like, 'Oh all right.' Because we don't have a lot of Spanish-speaking people on the island. It's mostly Portuguese speakers," Sanchez Roa said. She arrived at St. Andrew's with "no idea" what she was supposed to do, so just started talking to people, "to help them along and help them feel more comfortable."

"In English last year, I read books about people coming through the border and their struggles and stuff," she said. "It doesn't really hit you until you build a connection with these people. . . . I'm very grateful I can help."

At about 5:30, Danny Segal, owner of Edgartown Pizza, got a phone call from the community service center asking for 10 extra-large pizzas, he said. So he did what he always does: offered the organization the same steep discount he gives schools and nonprofits. Tim Dobel brought the coffee. The co-owner of Mocha Mott's in Vineyard Haven and his daughter, Casey Engley, who is six months' pregnant, fired up the brewers, filled up a few cartons, and hand-delivered it to St. Andrew's.

As news traveled throughout the island, local residents began arriving to drop off donations outside the church. Local politicians began to arrive as well. By 7:15, Representative Dylan Fernandes was on a ferry to the island.

"Currently migrants are being dropped off on Martha's Vineyard by chartered flights from Texas," he tweeted. "Many don't know where they are. They say they were told they would be given housing and jobs. Islanders were given no notice but are coming together as a community to support them." [...]

"The people here were not expecting us. We were a little confused because we were expecting a city and not an island," said one man, who asked not to be named. "When you arrive at a place where you can finally relax, you are able to relax your mind a bit. You sleep all night. Total relaxation."

Belcastro said she was glad she was able to welcome the migrants and offer them kindness.

Tweet   @brothersjudd