SAN ANTONIO — The mysterious woman who allegedly lured dozens of migrants on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ flights to Martha’s Vineyard from San Antonio has been identified by several media outlets as Perla H. Huerta, a former combat medic and U.S. Army counterintelligence agent living in Tampa.
The New York Times reported late Sunday that a Venezuelan migrant who was working with Huerta to recruit migrants confirmed her identity, and a migrant in San Antonio whom Huerta had unsuccessfully sought to sign up identified a photo of her.
CNN reported that a friend of Huerta confirmed her identity in a photo provided by a migrant. Pictures have been circulating of the woman — until now known simply as “Perla” — after she allegedly recruited many of the 48 Venezuelan migrants outside a city-operated shelter in downtown San Antonio and moved them at a La Quinta Inn, before they were flown to the upscale Massachusetts island at the expense of Florida taxpayers.
The San Antonio Express-News, citing unnamed sources, reported Monday that the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, which includes San Antonio, considers Huerta, 43, a “person of interest” in its criminal investigation into the incident.