As I was reading about the 48 Venezuelan migrants recently flown to Martha's Vineyard on private planes from San Antonio, Texas, one of the first thoughts I had before discovering more information about how they were recruited was that this Massachusetts island is an odd location for asylum seekers. If most of these migrants did not want to stay in San Antonio, one could question why they did not head for Dallas-Fort Worth or Houston, two U.S. metropolitan areas in Texas with large numbers of immigrants. Other closer southern cities that these migrants could have considered that have sizable immigrant populations include Atlanta and the popular Florida destinations of Orlando, Tampa and Miami. If some perhaps thought about venturing farther out to the Midwest, close to where I am in Columbus, Ohio, their city of choice would most likely be Chicago.

Of course, as I read more about this group of Venezuelan migrants, it was disturbing to find out that they believe they were lied to regarding financial assistance and help with job placements once they arrived at Martha's Vineyard. While they have received support in the form of meals, clothing and shelter, the workers at the community service center where they showed up had no idea they were coming. Now, a Texas sheriff has opened a criminal investigation into the migrant flights. Many believe that political posturing was a motivating factor, since it has been confirmed that the money used to fund the travel expenses came from the $12 million budget Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis allocated for relocating unauthorized migrants out of his state.

DeSantis has been harshly criticized in the media for the Martha's Vineyard drop-offs, but I think what we really need to focus on in the present immigration debate is why thousands of migrants, many currently from Venezuela, continue to risk their lives to cross our borders. The simple answer is that they are extremely desperate and destitute as the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela has a quarter of the population in critical need of food, water, health care and employment, according to the International Rescue Committee's Emergency Watchlist. The IRC estimates that more than 7 million Venezuelans will be in need of basic resources as "hyperinflation" is causing prices of goods and services to severely increase. More people are going hungry, power outages are more frequent and Venezuela's health care system continues to be critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The immense suffering in this South American country should make us pause and be grateful for the blessings we have. Although many of us are balancing our budgets in the midst of current challenges with inflation, we are fortunate that we don't have to worry about lacking clean drinking water or reliable electricity.

Some encouraging stories that have come out of the Martha's Vineyard migrant controversy are that churches are playing more of a vital role with aid. A New York Times article featured some of the migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard being assisted by members of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, and Christianity Today's Emily Belz did a heartfelt interview in September with Sami DiPasquale, who provides resources to asylum seekers crossing the El Paso border through the Abara ministry. Reading these stories reminded me of the kindness that God commands us to have for refugees. In the Old Testament, some of the tithes that were collected by priests were used to feed foreigners and their families, and in Leviticus 23:22, farmers were directed to leave part of their harvests in the fields for foreigners to glean. Christ furthered these teachings in Matthew 25:40 by saying that when we have helped those who are hungry, thirsty or naked, "doing it unto the least of these," we in turn have ministered to Him.

As deliberations on border control and immigration policy are ongoing and will no doubt become more intense, one of the most Christlike gestures is being shown by immigrants, many who are undocumented, returning to help Floridians in the massive cleanup after the wreckage of Hurricane Ian. The immigrants are working with the nonprofit Resilience Force and are willing to support people rebuilding their lives in a state that has not been welcoming of them; however, many of these immigrants, like their fellow migrants, know all too well the pain of devastation and dreadful loss in their journeys to America. This type of Godly compassion should be a great moral lesson to our leaders as they work on accommodating solutions to the border crisis.

Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JjSmojc. To find out more about Jessica Johnson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: ThePixelman at Pixabay