DeSantis Class Action
DeSantis Class Action
DeSantis Class Action
Plaintiffs,
Civil Action No.
v.
Defendants.
Plaintiff Alianza Americas, together with Plaintiff Yanet Doe, Pablo Doe and Jesus Doe
(collectively the “individual Plaintiffs”) 1 individually and on behalf of all others similarly
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT
1. Plaintiffs are recent immigrants who fled from Venezuela—a place subject to a Level 4
“Do Not Travel” advisory by the United States Department of Health due to rampant
crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure, kidnapping, terrorism and wrongful
1Concurrently with the filing of this Complaint, the individual Plaintiffs have filed a motion to
be allowed to proceed under pseudonyms.
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detentions. After crossing the United States border, the Plaintiffs immediately
surrendered themselves to federal immigration officials, and each has—and at all times
adjudicate their immigration status. Unless and until determined otherwise after the due
process to which they are entitled, Plaintiffs are authorized by federal immigration
2. Plaintiffs have led lives inflicted by violence, instability, insecurity, and abuse of trust by
corrupt government officials that most Americans could hardly conceive of. They fled to
the United States in a desperate attempt to protect themselves and their families from
gang, police, and state-sponsored violence and the oppression of political dissent. To put
it simply, Plaintiffs, and the class of similarly situated individuals they seek to represent,
are vulnerable in a way and to an extent that almost defies verbal description. They are as
and executed a premeditated, fraudulent, and illegal scheme centered on exploiting this
vulnerability for the sole purpose of advancing their own personal, financial and political
interests. This scheme involved the unidentified Doe Defendants, acting in concert with
the named Defendants, identifying and targeting class members by trolling streets outside
of a migrant shelter in Texas and other similar locales, pretending to be good Samaritans
4. To gain the Plaintiffs’ trust, and to induce unwitting cooperation with Defendants’
scheme, the Doe Defendants provided items such as $10 McDonalds gift certificates to
class members suffering from chronic food insecurity. After luring Plaintiffs by
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exploiting their most basic needs, the Doe Defendants then made false promises and false
representations that if Plaintiffs and class members were willing to board airplanes to
other states, they would receive employment, housing, educational opportunities, and
other like assistance upon their arrival. Next, the Defendants put class members up for
free in hotels, sequestered away from the migrant center, and from the possibility of
actual good Samaritans finding out how the class members were being abused.
5. On information and belief, the Defendants procured and paid $615,000 for private
chartered planes ($12,300 per passenger), transported class members to the aircrafts, and
told them they were flying to Boston or Washington, D.C., which was completely false.
Instead, the chartered airplanes dropped Plaintiffs off on Martha’s Vineyard in the
Defendants disappeared and did not answer alarmed calls from the class members to get
information about what had gone wrong after they landed. But nothing had “gone
6. These immigrants, who are pursuing the proper channels for lawful immigration status in
the United States, experienced cruelty akin to what they fled in their home country.
Defendants manipulated them, stripped them of their dignity, deprived them of their
liberty, bodily autonomy, due process, and equal protection under law, and impermissibly
7. The next day, Governor DeSantis claimed credit for the ruse, and the class members and
their plight became front page news across the country. As set forth more fully below, the
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Defendants’ inhumane and morally repugnant conduct (i) violated protections afforded to
the Plaintiffs by the United States Constitution, (ii) violated federal statutes including 42
U.S.C. § 1983 and 42 U.S.C. 1985(3), and (iii) was tortious, entitling Plaintiffs and other
class members to monetary, injunctive, and other relief as set forth herein.
8. This Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this action under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331
and 1343. This case poses federal questions that arise under the U.S. Constitution and
laws of the United States. This Court also has supplemental jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C.
9. This Court also has jurisdiction over the subject of this action under 28 U.S.C. § 1332.
10. This Court has authority to grant declaratory relief under 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201 and 2202.
11. This Court has personal jurisdiction over all Defendants pursuant to G.L. c. 223A, § 3,
because their activities, as outlined herein, occurred in large part in the Commonwealth
jurisdiction over these Defendants is consistent with the United States Constitution and
12. Defendants purposefully availed themselves of the benefits and protections of the laws of
jurisdiction of the courts of the Commonwealth with respect to claims arising out of their
conduct.
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13. On information and belief, Defendants DeSantis and Perdue, directly and through agents,
regularly do, solicit, or transact business in the Commonwealth and engage in a persistent
course of conduct in the Commonwealth. On information and belief, Defendant the State
of Florida, directly and through agents, contracts to supply services or goods in this
14. Venue is proper in this judicial district under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(2), because a
substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to this civil action occurred in this
PARTIES
15. Plaintiff Alianza Americas is the only transnational organization rooted in Latino
immigrant communities in the United States focused on improving the quality of life of
comprised of a network of 53 member organizations from across the country whose goal
is to promote policies that are humane, just, and equitable. Alianza Americas provides a
communities, and the general public related to issues of immigration, human rights, and
under the laws of California with a principal place of business in Chicago, Illinois.
16. Plaintiff Yanet Doe is from Venezuela. She, her husband, their eleven-year-old son, and
additional family members were induced by Defendants to board a plane in Texas that
17. Plaintiff Pablo Doe is from Venezuela. He and his two brothers were induced by
18. Plaintiff Jesus Doe is from Venezuela. He was induced by Defendants to board a plane in
19. Defendant Ronald DeSantis is the Governor of the State of Florida. Defendant DeSantis
has taken credit for executing the relocation scheme out of $12 million in funding set
aside by the Florida legislature. Fl. House Bill 5001, Sec. 185 (2022). He has pledged to
use all $12 million of that funding to continue the challenged conduct. Defendant
20. Defendant Jared W. Perdue is the Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation.
The $12 million in funding that Defendant DeSantis is using to execute his relocation
Perdue heads and under whom direct administration of the Department is placed.
23. Defendant Doe #1 is an as-yet unnamed individual who targeted many of the putative
class members in San Antonio, Texas, to induce them onto the flights to Martha’s
Vineyard. Defendant Doe #1 told Plaintiffs her name was “Perla.” The Plaintiffs will
24. Defendant Doe #2 is an as-yet unnamed individual who targeted many of the putative
class members in San Antonio, Texas, to induce them onto the flights to Martha’s
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Vineyard. Defendant Doe #2 told Plaintiffs his name was “Emanuel.” The Plaintiffs will
25. Doe Defendants #3, #4, and #5 are as-yet unnamed individuals and organizations who
this scheme. The Plaintiffs will amend the complaint when they ascertain the Doe
FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS
26. On September 14, 2022, two privately chartered planes carrying approximately fifty
Vineyard, Massachusetts unannounced except, at most, for the flights’ notification to the
27. The individual Plaintiffs were among the immigrants on those planes. All of them were
subject to the same pattern and practice of inducement and deceit in the days leading up
28. Near a migrant resource center in San Antonio, Texas, and in similar locales, the Doe
Defendants and other accomplices approached the individual Plaintiffs and gained their
trust by offering them items they needed: McDonalds gift cards and other seemingly de
minimis items.
29. Under the auspices of acting out of the goodness of their hearts, the Doe Defendants
made false promises and false representations that if the individual Plaintiffs and other
class members were willing to board airplanes to other states, they would receive
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employment, housing, educational opportunities, and other like assistance at their arrival.
The Doe Defendants also told the individual Plaintiffs and other class members that they
30. In fact, Defendants had made no arrangements for employment, housing, educational
opportunities, or other assistance for the individual Plaintiffs or other class members at
their destination. Defendants had not even notified any governmental or non-profit entity
that could provide such services that the individual Plaintiffs and their similarly-situated
31. Lacking work and shelter, and in desperate circumstances, individual Plaintiffs and other
class members accepted the offer relying on these promises. They agreed to board a plane
at the invitation of total strangers because they trusted that the Defendants would provide
32. For many class members, the Doe Defendants collected copies of the class members’
immigration paperwork so they could confirm that their immigration status met the
ultimate ends of their scheme. If the class members’ paperwork fit the bill, the Doe
Defendants engaged in further acts to lure them into being objects of the Defendants’
political agenda.
33. To induce the individual Plaintiffs’ and the class members’ trust in them, the Doe
Defendants provided what they purported to be their cell phone numbers so that the
individual Plaintiffs and the class members could call them with any questions about the
34. The Doe Defendants rounded up and sequestered the individual Plaintiffs and other class
members in hotel rooms while they gathered enough of them to fill two planes and carry
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out their scheme. On information and belief, this took days of work by the Doe
Defendants. On information and belief, the Doe Defendants intentionally sequestered the
class members so that they could not discuss the arrangement and reveal Defendants’
inhumane scheme to any true Good Samaritans, and so that the class members would be
less likely to leave or change their minds since they were being provided free housing
35. After enough immigrants had been rounded up—enough to fill two planes—the
individual Plaintiffs and other class members were transported by the Doe Defendants to
a private airstrip, where they boarded two planes. The planes took off from Texas. At
some point during the flight, it was announced that the planes would land on Martha’s
Vineyard.
36. At various points during this scheme, the Doe Defendants made similar false
37. Specifically, while on the plane, right before landing in Martha’s Vineyard, Defendants
provided the individual Plaintiffs each with a shiny, red folder that included other
Benefits” and instructions for how to change an address with U.S. Citizenship and
38. On information and belief, the brochure was manufactured by Defendants. The brochure
echoed the type of false representation that had been given orally, including statements
such as: “During the first 90 days after a refugee’s arrival in Massachusetts, resettlement
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food, and other basic necessities…clothing, and transportation to job interviews and job
school….” The brochure had a separate section entitled “Refugee Cash Assistance
refugees without dependent children, who reside in Massachusetts.” It had other sections
39. On information and belief, this brochure was not prepared by the Massachusetts Office
for Refugees and Immigrants, or any other Massachusetts agency or immigration services
organization.
program with highly specific eligibility requirements for which no members of the
putative class are eligible—in order to buttress their false oral representations to Plaintiffs
41. Before the flight, class members were told they were heading to Boston, Massachusetts
or Washington, D.C. But right before landing, they were informed they were in fact going
to Martha’s Vineyard, an isolated Massachusetts island just south of Cape Cod, reachable
42. Once the individual Plaintiffs and class members landed, it became clear that the
promises made to induce them on the planes were in fact bold-faced lies.
Defendants also intentionally failed to arrange any of the services they had promised to
44. Defendants completely abandoned the class members. They did not travel with the class
45. When those induced onto the planes disembarked in Martha’s Vineyard, it turned out that
no one was expecting their arrival, and uncertainty quickly ensued. In Texas, the Doe
Defendants had given telephone numbers to Plaintiffs and told them to call with any
questions. But once the planes landed in Massachusetts, the Doe Defendants were
suddenly nowhere to be found and unreachable by phone. Destitute and stranded, the
46. Destitute, stranded, and immensely vulnerable, the individual Plaintiffs and class
members were faced with an uncertain situation in an unfamiliar location. They were left
47. The individual Plaintiffs and the class members suffered economic, emotional, and
conduct. Together, Plaintiffs have suffered harms the redress of which is incalculable but
48. The next day, September 15, 2022, Defendant Florida Governor Ronald DeSantis
assumed responsibility for the scheme and publicly stated that he had orchestrated the
chartered flights as part of the state’s relocation program targeting immigrants. Defendant
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DeSantis proclaimed: “We are not a sanctuary state, and we will gladly facilitate the
49. Defendant DeSantis stated that he had funded the scheme out of $12 million appropriated
by the Florida Legislature to Defendant Department of Transportation, and that he and his
associates will continue to undertake similar transport until those funds are exhausted.
50. To date, none of the Defendants has provided the individual Plaintiffs or putative class
The Individual Plaintiffs’ Experiences of Escaping a Humanitarian Crisis Only for the
Defendants to Use Them as Pawns in A Political Stunt
51. Both the Trump and Biden Administrations have consistently recognized the crisis in
Venezuela. The U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory
for Venezuela “due to crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure, kidnapping, . . .
terrorism and wrongful detentions.”3 The U.S. Department of Justice has similarly found
Venezuela] in safety includ[ing] severe economic and political crises, . . . which have an
impact across sectors.”4 Venezuelans face “limited access to food, basic services, and
adequate healthcare, and the deterioration of the rule of law and protection of human
advisory.html
4 Id. at 55,026.
5 Id.
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international law and human rights violations, including politically motivated arbitrary
detentions, torture, extrajudicial executions and excessive use of force have been
53. She, her husband, their eleven-year-old son, and additional family members fled
Venezuela in or around July 2022. She and her family crossed the border into the United
States near Piedras Negras, Mexico, and immediately surrendered to federal officials at
the border.
54. Plaintiff Yanet Doe and her family were detained by federal immigration officials for
approximately six days. She and her family are subject to ongoing immigration
proceedings in Texas. She must appear in Texas for an immigration check-in next month
55. Upon being released by federal immigration officials, Plaintiff Yanet Doe and her family
stayed at several churches and eventually took a bus to San Antonio. Volunteers directed
them to a shelter there known to house recent immigrants from Central and South
56. While they were still near the shelter, Plaintiff Yanet Doe and her family encountered
Defendant Doe #1, a woman who identified herself as “Perla” who was asking people
outside the shelter if they needed help. Defendant Doe #1 shared her phone number with
57. Defendant Doe #1 asked Plaintiff Yanet Doe for a picture of Plaintiff’s immigration
notices. Plaintiff sent Defendant Doe #1 the immigration notices for herself, her husband,
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and her son. The fact that Defendant Doe #1 asked Plaintiff Yanet Doe for her family’s
immigration notices worried Plaintiff Yanet Doe, but since Defendant had been kind and
supportive of her, and because Defendant was near the shelter known to support recent
immigrants, Plaintiff Yanet Doe believed that Defendant was genuinely trying to assist
58. Defendant Doe #1 then picked Plaintiff Yanet Doe and her family up and took them to a
hotel where the family stayed for approximately five days. Defendant Doe #1 and/or her
associates told Plaintiff that, if the family got on the flight she arranged, then Plaintiff
would be provided with permanent housing, work, educational resources for her son, and
59. Defendant Doe #1 eventually arranged a shuttle to take Plaintiff Yanet Doe and her
family to the chartered flight. Plaintiff Yanet Doe asked if she could go to New York and
Defendant Doe #1 informed her that they would likely go to Washington, D.C. or another
“sanctuary state.”
60. During the flight, Plaintiff Yanet Doe learned that the plane would be landing on an
island in Massachusetts. When the plane landed, Plaintiff and her family did not have
61. Plaintiff Yanet Doe is concerned that an immigration judge will order her and her entire
family deported in absentia if they are unable to keep their scheduled appointments.
62. Since arriving in Martha’s Vineyard, Plaintiff Yanet Doe and her son have been in need
63. Upon arrival in Martha’s Vineyard, Plaintiff Yanet Doe felt helpless, defrauded, and
desperate. She started crying. She felt anxious and confused. As a result, she suffered
64. As a direct and proximate cause of the Defendants’ conduct, Plaintiff Yanet Doe and her
family have suffered emotional and economic harm, and irreparable harm to their dignity
and autonomy.
65. If Plaintiff Yanet Doe and her family had known that Defendant Doe #1 and the
them upon arrival in Massachusetts, they would not have accepted Defendant’s offer and
66. If Plaintiff Yanet Doe and her family had known that they would be deposited in
Martha’s Vineyard, or that the Defendants would use them as a political ploy in order to
send a message about their political views on immigration, and force photographs of
Plaintiff Yanet Doe and her family into the national media, Plaintiff Yanet Doe and her
family would not have accepted Defendant Doe #1’s offer and would not have boarded
Pablo Doe
68. Plaintiff Pablo Doe fled Venezuela alongside his two brothers. They traveled through
various countries before reaching the U.S. border near Piedras Negras, Mexico, where
69. Plaintiff Pablo Doe and his brothers were held in federal custody for approximately 15
days.
70. After federal officials made the determination that they should be released, Plaintiff
Pablo Doe and his brothers remained in a shelter in San Antonio, Texas, for
approximately 3 days.
71. Upon leaving the shelter, Plaintiff Pablo Doe and his brothers encountered Doe
Defendants #1 and #2 parked outside the shelter. Doe Defendants indicated they worked
72. Doe Defendants reassured Plaintiff Pablo Doe that people were aware of their arrival and
73. Doe Defendants made numerous promises to Plaintiff Pablo Doe and his brothers in order
immediate employment; food assistance; clothing; free English classes; and legal
74. Based on these promises, Plaintiff Pablo Doe, along with his brothers, agreed to travel.
Doe Defendants then transported Plaintiff Pablo Doe and his brothers to a hotel, where
they stayed for approximately 3 days. During this time, they communicated with
75. Doe Defendants made all travel arrangements, including a shuttle to the airport.
76. Upon arrival in Martha’s Vineyard, no one was waiting for Plaintiff Pablo Doe and his
77. Plaintiff Pablo Doe attempted to reach Defendant Doe #1, but his efforts were to no avail;
she no longer responded to calls or messages to the number she had given them in Texas.
78. Upon arrival in Martha’s Vineyard, Plaintiff Pablo Doe felt helpless, defrauded, and
desperate. He felt anxious and confused. As a result of the scheme, he suffers from lack
of sleep.
79. As a direct and proximate cause of the Defendants’ conduct, Plaintiff Pablo Doe and his
brothers have suffered emotional and economic harm, and irreparable harm to their
80. If Plaintiff Pablo Doe and his brothers had known that Defendant Doe and the Defendants
had not arranged for, or even attempted to arrange for, housing, employment, and
immigration support services, or any other services, to be available to them upon arrival
in Massachusetts, they would not have accepted Defendant Doe’s offer and would not
81. If Plaintiff Pablo Doe and his brothers had known that they would be deposited in
Martha’s Vineyard, or that the Defendants would use them as a political ploy in order to
send a message about their political views on immigration, and force photographs of
Plaintiff Pablo Doe and his brothers into the national media, Plaintiff Pablo Doe and his
brothers would not have accepted Defendant Doe’s offer and would not have boarded the
plane to Massachusetts.
Jesus Doe
83. Plaintiff Jesus Doe fled Venezuela. He reached the U.S. border near Piedras Negras,
84. Plaintiff Jesus Doe was held in federal custody for approximately a day and a half, when
85. Plaintiff Jesus Doe received a federal notice scheduling him for a supervised immigration
86. In San Antonio, Plaintiff Jesus Doe stayed in a shelter—San Pedro 7000—known to
house recent immigrants in the beginning of their federal immigration proceedings. After
approximately three nights, he left the shelter and slept on the street nearby.
87. While there, he was approached by “Perla” (Defendant Doe #1), who said she could help
him. She asked that he share his federal immigration notices with her, so he did. She told
him she had helped many Venezuelans before and wanted to help him.
88. Defendant Doe #1 told Plaintiff Jesus Doe that she could get him on a plane to
Washington, D.C. or Boston and could provide a hotel in which he could stay.
89. On September 14, 2022, at 7 a.m., Defendant Doe #1 gathered several dozen people,
including Plaintiff Jesus Doe, to sign a document in order to receive a $10 McDonald’s
gift card. She did not explain what the document stated, and it was not completely
translated to Spanish: an entire paragraph about liability and transport was not translated
at all, and language specifying that the journey would take place from Texas to
90. Plaintiff Jesus Doe was directed to write his name, date of birth and signature on the
document before he would receive the gift card. Plaintiff Jesus Doe was not given time to
91. Plaintiff Jesus Doe was told by the Doe Defendants when they first met that by leaving
Texas, he would be provided with permanent housing, stable employment, and help with
92. Upon arrival in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, he realized these promises were fraudulent. He
and the other Plaintiffs did not have anywhere to go. No one on the island was expecting
93. When he realized the situation was not what he was told it would be, Plaintiff Jesus Doe
worriedly sent a voice message to the phone number Defendant Doe #1 had given him,
asking, “One question, what institution are we supposed to look for? We arrived and no
one is saying anything.” Defendant Doe #1 never responded, and he has not heard from
her again.
94. If Plaintiff Jesus Doe had known that Defendant Doe #1 had not arranged for, or even
attempted to arrange for, housing, employment, and immigration support services, or any
other services, to be available to him upon arrival in Massachusetts, he would not have
accepted Defendant Doe #1’s offer and would not have boarded the plane to
Massachusetts.
95. If Plaintiff Jesus Doe had known that he would be deposited in Martha’s Vineyard, or
that the Defendants would use him as a political ploy in order to send a message about
their political views on immigration, and force photographs of Plaintiff Jesus Doe into the
national media, Plaintiff Jesus Doe would not have accepted Defendant Doe #1’s offer
96. As a direct and proximate cause of the Defendants’ conduct, Plaintiff Jesus Doe has
suffered emotional and economic harm, and irreparable harm to his dignity and
autonomy.
97. Upon arrival in Martha’s Vineyard, Plaintiff Jesus Doe felt felt helpless, defrauded, and
desperate. He felt anxious and confused. As a result, he suffered from lack of sleep and
vertigo
98. Plaintiff Jesus Doe feels defrauded and tricked. The experience of being transported to
Martha’s Vineyard under false pretenses was traumatizing to him. Plaintiff Jesus Doe is
concerned that this experience will also negatively impact his son in Venezuela.
99. The individual Plaintiffs bring this lawsuit as a class action pursuant to Federal Rule of
Civil Procedure 23 on behalf of a class consisting of all immigrants who have been, or
will in the future be, induced by Defendants to travel across state lines by fraud and
misrepresentation.
100. Plaintiffs reserve the right to amend the definition of the above-defined classes
101. The Class meets all the prerequisites of Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure.
102. At least fifty (50) individuals have been transported pursuant to Defendants’
relocation scheme to date, and Defendants have stated that they plan to continue
operating the program until all of the $12 million allocation for the scheme is expended,
103. The Plaintiffs’ claims are typical of the claims of putative class members.
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board a plane and cross state lines through misrepresentations and false promises,
whether Defendants intentionally failed to arrange for the promised services at the
destination, and whether such conduct subjects them to liability, predominate over any
individualized issues.
105. Plaintiffs and their counsel, who have been class counsel in numerous other civil
rights cases, will adequately represent the putative class. A class action is the superior
method of trying these claims. Joinder of the individual class members of the sub-class is
impracticable because there are over 25 members, nearly all of whom require translation
services to participate in litigation, and many of whom may relocate during the course of
this litigation.
106. Alianza Americas and its 53 member organizations are incurring concrete and
conduct, Alianza Americas and its member organizations have been, and will continue to
be, required to shift their focus from their regular operations to such activities as holding
State government officials who are attempting to make a political point and the need to
respond to identify the needs that arise from this scheme, including legal assistance,
mental health crises, transportation, housing, food, and clothing. Alianza Americas and
its members are also helping to train state and local officials – including the National
Case 1:22-cv-11550 Document 1 Filed 09/20/22 Page 22 of 35
Guard – on the legal, social and cultural background of the newly-arrived immigrants.
107. In addition, when the challenged conduct occurs and immigrants are transported
to a distant community purposefully without advance notice and for political purposes,
Alianza Americas’ member organizations are forced to mobilize staff and coordinate
efforts and strategy on an emergency basis. The fallout from Defendants’ illegal actions
Alianza Americas must continue if the Defendants are allowed to continue their
conduct—have diverted from the member organizations’ scarce time, resources and main
programming.
sustainable way of life for migrant communities living in the United States and across the
Americas. It pursues that mission by, among other things, providing education to
immigrants, immigrant-serving organizations, and the general public; and fundraising for
institutions that provide shelter and other services to immigrants and asylum seekers.
false pretenses, abandoning them without resources, targeting them for disparate
treatment based on their race, national origin, and alienage, and using them as political
props. All these activities harm the immigrant communities Alianza Americas exists to
110. In addition, Plaintiff Alianza Americas has had to take several steps to counteract
the negative effects of Defendants’ conduct on its mission. These include: (1) mobilizing
individuals and create a response plan for future transportations; and (3) spending money
to develop materials and trainings to inform immigrants and community advocates about
the country from California to Washington, D.C. Those member organizations have also
had to expend significant time and resources developing advice and legal strategies to
112. To the extent the relocation scheme is allowed to continue, Plaintiff, and many of
its members, will have to keep diverting resources and adjusting operations to educate the
CAUSES OF ACTION
113. The Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate each and every allegation contained in the
preceding paragraphs.
114. At all relevant times, Defendants acted “under color of state law” within the
116. By fraudulently inducing individual Plaintiffs to cross state lines in the manner
117. Particularly after the individual Plaintiffs had boarded the airplanes and were in
mid-air, Plaintiffs were not free to leave, and were induced into that condition through
described above.
119. The Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate each and every allegation contained in the
preceding paragraphs.
120. The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from
depriving “any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”
121. By fraudulently inducing individual Plaintiffs to board an airplane and cross state
lines in the manner described herein, Defendants engaged in an egregious abuse of power
that deprived individual Plaintiffs of their liberty in a manner that shocks the conscience.
122. Defendants robbed individual Plaintiffs’ liberty in the most basic sense: denying
123. Defendants also took their actions in bad faith and with wanton indifference for
away from their ongoing immigration proceedings, and left them to fend for themselves
without promised resources. Although Defendants held themselves out as wanting to help
individual Plaintiffs, in fact they sought to use them as props in a political stunt. Plaintiffs
had no knowledge of this ulterior motive on the part of Defendants and did not consent to
124. Defendants’ actions not only offend all notions of fairness, but they also stripped
described above.
126. The Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate each and every allegation contained in the
preceding paragraphs.
127. The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that “No State shall
. . . deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
128. Defendants’ conduct of inducing immigrants to travel across state lines by fraud
and misrepresentation discriminates against individuals on the basis of race and national
origin.
129. This conduct intentionally and invidiously targets individuals who are racial and
130. This conduct impermissibly deprives individuals who are targeted because of their
race and national origin of the equal protection of the laws within the meaning of the
basis of alienage and deprives them of the equal protection of the laws within the
132. At all relevant times, Defendants acted “under color of state law” within the
133. Defendants caused the harms alleged herein to the Plaintiffs on account of their
national origin. On information and belief, Defendants have not transported any white
individuals or individuals born in the United States through their relocation scheme, but
rather have intentionally targeted only individuals who are non-white and born outside
134. As a direct and proximate cause of such acts, Defendants have violated 42 U.S.C.
§ 1983 and caused harm to Plaintiffs by violating the Plaintiffs’ Fourteenth Amendment
right to equal protection under the laws and will continue to violate the rights of other
135. The Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate each and every allegation contained in the
preceding paragraphs.
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136. 42 U.S.C. § 2000d provides that “No person in the United States shall, on the
137. Defendants receive Federal financial assistance, including but not limited to
138. Defendants’ conduct of inducing immigrants to travel across state lines by fraud
and misrepresentation discriminates against individuals on the basis of race and national
origin.
139. This conduct intentionally and invidiously targets individuals who are racial and
140. This conduct impermissibly deprives individuals who are targeted because of their
141. As a direct and proximate cause of such acts, Defendants have violated 42 U.S.C.
§ 2000d and caused harm to Plaintiffs, and will continue to violate the rights of other
142. The Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate each and every allegation contained in the
preceding paragraphs.
143. The Supremacy Clause, Article VI, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution states:
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in
Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the
Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the
Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution of
Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
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144. The Supremacy Clause mandates that federal law preempts state law and policy in
any area which is constitutionally reserved to the federal government, over which
Congress expressly or impliedly has reserved exclusive authority, and/or where state law
145. The Constitution grants the federal government sole and exclusive power to
146. As part of its immigration power, the federal government has exclusive authority
remove, or allow to remain in the United States. The federal government also has
exclusive authority over the terms and conditions of an immigrant’s stay in the United
147. Pursuant to its powers, the federal government has established a comprehensive
whether and under what conditions an immigrant may enter and live in the United States.
148. Defendants’ conduct of paying for, coordinating, and executing the travel of
immigrants, who are under the active management of federal immigration authorities, to
various locations across the country through false representations and for the purpose of
making a political point about federal immigration policy, directly conflicts with, and
149. Defendants’ conduct conflicts with federal laws and policies, usurps powers
regulate in a field occupied exclusively by the federal government, and imposes burdens
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on the federal government’s resources and processes, each in violation of the Supremacy
Clause.
150. The Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate each and every allegation contained in the
preceding paragraphs.
151. The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
provides that states shall not “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due
process of law.”
152. Plaintiffs have a protected liberty and/or property interest in being able to proceed
through the federal immigration process unimpeded and without state interference.
153. Defendants’ scheme, which transported Plaintiffs thousands of miles away from
the loci of their federal immigration proceedings under false pretenses—including false
154. Defendants provided Plaintiffs with no hearing or proceeding of any kind before
this deprivation and, therefore, violated Plaintiffs’ procedural due process rights.
155. The Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate each and every allegation contained in the
preceding paragraphs.
deprive Plaintiffs of their rights as described above. Defendants agreed in and amongst
158. As described herein, the effort undertaken by Defendants was orchestrated and
engineered by Defendant DeSantis, and the additional individual Defendants each acted
159. The Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate each and every allegation contained in the
preceding paragraphs.
160. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) created the Coronavirus State
Fiscal Recovery Fund to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects.
161. Such funds may only be used for specified purposes related to the COVID-19
162. The $12 million that the Defendant State of Florida appropriated for the
Defendants’ challenged conduct originated from the federal Coronavirus State Fiscal
163. The conduct alleged herein by Defendants is not among the authorized uses of
such funds.
164. Defendant DeSantis has stated that he plans to continue to use such funds for
165. The Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate each and every allegation contained in the
preceding paragraphs.
166. The Defendants intentionally conspired to confine the individual Plaintiffs to the
167. The individual Plaintiffs were harmed as a result of the Defendants’ intentional
they were transported thousands of miles away from where they needed to continue
immigration proceedings. Plaintiffs were not informed that they would be flown to an
island off the coast of Massachusetts that can only be reached by plane or ferry. The first
time that many of the putative class learned that their destination was Martha’s Vineyard
was when they were in mid-air. When they arrived, they were not provided with any of
the goods and services which they were promised by Defendants. They felt defrauded and
preceding paragraphs.
169. The Doe Defendants, in conspiracy with all Defendants, made false
that Plaintiffs would be provided with employment and housing opportunities, and, in the
170. Defendants did not provide such benefits to Plaintiffs—indeed, Defendants had
no intention of providing such benefits. The individual Doe Defendants who had directly
induced Plaintiffs to travel and had given Plaintiffs contact information to call them
became unreachable the moment the Plaintiffs were deposited on Martha’s Vineyard.
171. Plaintiffs were not informed that they would be flown to an island off the coast of
Massachusetts that can only be reached by plane or boat. The first time that many of the
putative class learned that their destination was Martha’s Vineyard was when they were
in mid-air.
172. Defendants concealed from Plaintiffs their true purpose of facilitating travel,
173. The Plaintiffs reasonably relied on the Defendants’ promises to their detriment.
As recent immigrants from countries facing humanitarian crises, they needed stable
housing, work, and basic human services. They trusted the Defendants’ promises to
provide these things, and as a result found themselves thousands of miles from where
174. The Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate each and every allegation contained in the
preceding paragraphs.
175. The Doe Defendants, individually and in concert, intentionally inflicted emotional
distress on the individual Plaintiffs through their actions as described throughout this
complaint.
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176. The Defendants intended to induce the individual Plaintiffs to board a plane to
Martha’s Vineyard under false pretenses. Upon arrival, the Plaintiffs learned that no one
unreachable.
177. It was only after they were already in Martha’s Vineyard that they learned that the
individual Doe Defendants, who had held themselves out as simply wanting to help, were
in fact acting in concert with Defendants DeSantis and Perdue, who claimed
Defendant State of Florida. It was only after they were already in Martha’s Vineyard that
Plaintiffs learned of Defendants’ true motive, which was to use them to make a political
178. The Defendants’ actions were extreme and outrageous, and utterly intolerable in a
civilized community.
179. The Defendants’ actions caused severe emotional distress to the Plaintiffs. The
Plaintiffs had relied on the Defendants’ promises of support and social services—basic
human needs of which, as recent immigrants, they were in particularly desperate need.
When they became aware that they were transported thousands of miles away from
Texas, where they need to continue with their federal immigration proceedings, without
any of the support from the Defendants, they became emotionally traumatized.
180. The Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate each and every allegation contained in the
preceding paragraphs.
Case 1:22-cv-11550 Document 1 Filed 09/20/22 Page 34 of 35
through their actions described throughout this complaint. This negligent infliction of
emotional distress caused the Plaintiffs dignitary harms and physical manifestations of
b. Designate Plaintiffs Yanet Doe, Pablo Doe and Jesus Doe as Class Representatives;
d. Declare that Defendants’ conduct in inducing the individual Plaintiffs to travel across
state lines by fraud and misrepresentation violates the U.S. Constitution and federal and
e. Enjoin Defendants from inducing immigrants to travel across state lines by fraud and
misrepresentation;
h. Order such additional relief as the Court deems just and proper.
Case 1:22-cv-11550 Document 1 Filed 09/20/22 Page 35 of 35
JURY DEMAND