‘I WAS LIED TO’

Who Is Perla? NYT Identifies Woman Behind Martha’s Vineyard Migrant Flights

The New York Times identified “Perla” as a former combat medic and counterintelligence agent discharged from the U.S. Army last month.

The woman whom investigators believe was recruited to lure undocumented migrants onto planes to transport them from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard was on Sunday identified by The New York Times as a former combat medic and military counterintelligence agent. Previously identified only as “Perla” by the migrants who landed in Massachusetts last month, the woman’s full name—Perla Huerta—was given to the Times by a source with knowledge of the ongoing investigation being conducted by the San Antonio Sheriff’s office. A Venezuelan migrant who worked alongside Huerta on the scheme confirmed her identity to the newspaper. “I was also lied to,” the man said, explaining that Huerta never disclosed her relationship to Florida’s government and that he hadn’t been aware of her intentions. “If I had known, I would not have gotten involved.” Huerta was discharged from the U.S. Army last month. Her service record, which stretched over two decades, included stints in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to documents obtained by the newspaper.