Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas revealed on Tuesday that his state has transported more than 35,000 migrants to cities that have declared themselves as sanctuaries for immigrants, in response to the Biden administration’s inability to secure the southern border.
Abbott initiated the migrant transportation program in April 2022, in an attempt to make blue states share the responsibility that Texas has faced due to the unprecedented numbers of illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers crossing the border from Mexico into the US since President Biden took office.
“Texas has bused over 35,000 migrants to self-declared sanctuary cities,” Abbott tweeted on Tuesday, along with a breakdown of which cities have received the most migrants.
“Over 11,300 to DC, Over 13,300 to NYC, Over 6,700 to Chicago, Over 2,600 to Philadelphia, Over 1,000 to Denver, Over 480 to LA,” the governor listed.
The numbers released by Abbott on Tuesday show an increase of more than 12,000 since the last update on the number of migrants that have been bused out of state under Operation Lone Star – a state border security and burden-sharing effort launched by the governor in 2021. In June, Abbott reported that more than 500 buses had removed 22,650 migrants from Texas and sent them to sanctuary cities.
“Our busing mission provides critical relief to overwhelmed Texas border towns,” Abbott argued in his Tuesday tweet, which came a day after the 12th bus of migrants since June arrived in Los Angeles from Texas.
The arrival of migrants in blue states, many far from the southern border, has caused conflict between Democratic state and local officials and the Biden administration. In Washington, DC, Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser asked Biden, who belongs to the same party, to activate the National Guard in August of last year to provide aid and shelter for migrants arriving from Texas – a request that was rejected by the Biden administration.
New York City’s migrant population has surged and is expected to double by June 2024, putting a strain on city resources, such as schools and shelters. Democratic Mayor Eric Adams has urged the 80-year-old president to act on the crisis more than three dozen times.
Last month, New York’s Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul also demanded that Biden address the issue in her first public appeal to the White House since the crisis began in Spring 2022. “This crisis originated with the federal government, and it must be resolved through the federal government,” Hochul said in her remarks on Aug. 24, revealing that she had sent a letter to the president with her demands.
She did not ask for a state of emergency declaration, which Adams has repeatedly called for since last year.
Source- Hindustan Times.
