Martha’s Vineyard residents are claiming that a “housing crisis” prevents them from properly housing illegal aliens on the elite coastal island. At the same time, tons of sprawling summer estates, owned by the wealthy, sit empty and are readily available as makeshift shelters.
Late last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) sent two planes full of 50 illegal aliens to Martha’s Vineyard where former President Obama owns a $12 million estate with 29 acres, seven bedrooms, and more than seven bathrooms.
Officials on Martha’s Vineyard quickly declared a “humanitarian crisis” in response to the new arrivals, and they were deported in less than 48 hours to Joint Base Cape Cod.
A Breitbart News analysis found that the island could house up to six million border crossers and illegal aliens if necessary. Residents, though, told Fox News that Martha’s Vineyard is experiencing a “housing crisis” that prevents them from housing illegal aliens:
“There’s no place to live here,” she said. “Housing is bad.” [Emphasis added]
“We have a major housing crisis as it is,” echoed Rachel Hines, who works for the nonprofit Vineyard Preservation Trust. [Emphasis added]
Airbnb and Vrbo listings show there are tons of empty summer homes on Martha’s Vineyard today as wealthy residents rent out their properties to the highest bidders in the non-summer months.
Luxury New England Houses in Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA, on a beautiful autumn day. Martha’s Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts and is famous as an affluent summer colony.
Victorian seaside homes in Oak Bluffs a town located on the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. Oak Bluffs is a romantic Victorian seaside summer resort.
On Vrbo, one such property rents for over $1,600 a night and can sleep up to 15 guests. Another boasts five bedrooms and five bathrooms and can sleep up to 10 guests, renting at nearly $1,700 a night.
A property known as the “Carousel House,” featured in the New York Times, can sleep up to 10 guests as well and rents for $1,375 a night. One property sits on the oceanfront and can sleep 10 guests, renting for about $2,800 a night.
On Airbnb, there are rentals all across Martha’s Vineyard. One property rents for $2,000 a night at the moment and can sleep up to 10 guests. Another listed property sleeps up to 15 guests and is known as the “Luxurious Captain’s Mansion” for its colonial-era architecture and waterfront views.
To house the 50 illegal alien arrivals, residents only needed to open just five Martha’s Vineyard homes so long as each could sleep 10 guests. To Breitbart News’s knowledge, no residents opened their homes to the arrivals.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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