Some of the 49 migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard by the state of Florida are now able to legally work in the United States and have temporary protections from deportation — because they are considered victims of a potential crime, their attorney says.

The migrants are eligible for these protections because they applied for a special kind of visa meant for crime victims who are helping law enforcement, after they said they were tricked into taking charter flights from San Antonio to Massachusetts with false promises of jobs and other aid, said Rachel Self, an attorney for the migrants.

After waiting for more than a year, some migrants this month received “bona fide determinations” in their U visa petition, a status that allows them to obtain temporary work permits and protects them from deportation until their visa becomes available. It was not immediately clear how many migrants had received that status from the federal government.

Because Congress only allows the federal government to issue 10,000 such visas each year, there are thousands of applicants on a waiting list. The “bona fide determination” gives the migrants targeted by the state of Florida protections while they wait.