The state of Texas delivered on its promise to bus to Washington, D.C., migrants who have been released by the Border Patrol into border communities.
By Washington Examiner – Anna Giaritelli
Apr 13, 2022
The first charter bus, which can carry up to 40 migrants, pulled into the nation’s capital around 9 a.m. local time Wednesday, dropping off passengers between the U.S. Capitol and Union Station.
A senior state official involved in the operation told the Washington Examiner that the bus picked up migrants who had been discharged from federal custody somewhere in the Del Rio sector, a 245-mile-long stretch of the border. A second bus is en route to Washington from the Del Rio area, the official said.
“As the federal government continues to turn a blind eye to the border crisis, the State of Texas will remain steadfast in our efforts to fill in the gaps and keep Texans safe,” Abbott said in a statement issued shortly after the drop-off. “By busing migrants to Washington, D.C., the Biden Administration will be able to more immediately meet the needs of the people they are allowing to cross our border. Texas should not have to bear the burden of the Biden Administration’s failure to secure our border.”
Migrants from Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua were on the first bus. The United States is limited in its ability to repatriate migrants to those countries, forcing the government to detain or release them at the border. Migrants are then placed in removal proceedings that likely will not be resolved in court for several years.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior policy counsel at the American Immigration Council, blasted the Texas Republican leader for sending migrants north, but he said the community will rally around the group.
“There is something deeply wrong with Greg Abbott. Like Lukashenko, Putin’s dictatorial ally in Belarus, he’s trying to weaponize migrants, ignoring their humanity and using them as pawns for his political ambitions. But he underestimates the people of DC. We are happy to help,” Reichlin-Melnick wrote in a post on Twitter Wednesday morning.
A spokesman for the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service said the organization was not given advance warning from Texas and was unable to be on site at the time of the drop-offs.
“Can verify that @LIRSorg wasn’t notified in advance about this. Faith organizations, community groups, and kind-hearted Americans stand ready to answer the call to help. Unfortunately, Gov. Abbott never made that call, opting instead to use vulnerable migrants as political pawns,” Tim Young, the group’s press secretary, wrote on Twitter.
State officials in Texas say busing migrants to Washington is more like a disaster evacuation than a kidnapping, following criticism from Democrats and some Republicans after Abbott’s announcement of the plan on April 6.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management is working directly with towns and cities along the border with México that request transportation for migrants who have been released from custody by the Border Patrol. Similar to how local officials can request state assistance during a hurricane or flood, an assistance request must be submitted.
Migrants must volunteer to board the buses and sign waivers. They are not in federal, state, or local custody at any time during the transport.
Many migrants who are released into the U.S. are on humanitarian parole, while others are given documents mandating they appear in immigration court. All migrants are either tracked through ankle monitors or cellphone apps or must remain in contact with the government through other means.
Over the past year, fewer than half of the people who illegally crossed the southern border have been released into the U.S., but with encounters topping 150,000 every month, the releases have placed a significant strain on small and large border communities that do not have the shelter space, food, transportation, or other means to help people get to other parts of the country where they have family or friends.
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Read More: Washington Examiner – Texas bus makes first migrant drop-off near US Capitol in Washington
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