MARTHA’S VINEYARD, Mass.—While some locals have claimed that the illegal immigrants who arrived on this wealthy island should go elsewhere since there wouldn’t be work for them with the summer rush gone, the local newspaper has listed 50 help wanted ads in a recent issue, and the local supermarket chain has been known to need help all year long.
The classified section of the Vineyard Gazette listed more than 50 jobs in the same issue that ran a story about the illegal aliens, referring to them as “stranded migrants.” The job ads included positions for laborers, custodians, landscapers, bakers, cooks, dishwashers, technicians, library assistant, and several retail positions.
The local YMCA also listed several job openings, including housekeepers, ice arena workers, and a front desk administrator. The spacious Y, located near where the illegal immigrants spent the night at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, shares a complex with Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS), which also ran a help wanted ad in the paper, including a job for administrative assistant, “bilingual preferred.”
MVCS didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time. The outreach center and the island’s homeless shelter told the media that they didn’t have room for the illegal aliens.
In the afternoon of Sept. 17, a Saturday, the large MVCS complex had several doors to its buildings wide open, but no staff could be found. One of the open buildings consisted of two floors with several empty rooms, including rooms with full kitchens and couches.
A group of friends enjoying an outdoor lunch at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport told The Epoch Times that while the plume of summer jobs is over, there are still enough job opportunities on the island.
The women, year-round residents who grew up on the island, pointed to Stop & Shop, a grocery store chain with three locations on the island. According to the women, the stores are always looking for help and they have worker dormitories, which they said are “now empty” with most of the summer help gone.
