On Wednesday (June 14), Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) revealed that his state had sent a busload of migrants to Los Angeles, California.
It is the latest step in a crackdown on border policies that send migrants to so-called sanctuary cities.
In a statement about the recent relocation of migrants, Abbott highlighted that small towns in Texas continue to be overwhelmed by thousands of people illegally entering Texas from Mexico “because of President Biden’s refusal to secure the border.”
Abbott added that Los Angeles is a major city for immigrants, especially now that its leaders have embraced its “self-declared sanctuary city status.”
Abbott described border communities as being on the “frontlines of President Biden’s border crisis,” promising that Texas will continue “providing this much-needed relief” until Biden “steps up to do his job” and secure the Southern border.
According to the governor’s office, the immigrants were dropped off at Los Angeles’ Union Station.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) confirmed in a Twitter post that the Texas governor had sent more than 40 people to the city.
Bass claimed the migrants’ arrival hadn’t caught the city “off guard” and that Los Angeles was “now executing our plan.”
Bass added that “Los Angeles is not a city motivated by hate or fear,” and wouldn’t be swayed by “petty politicians playing with human lives.”
The Texas Governor has participated in a push by Republican Governors to send thousands of migrants to Democratic-led cities to protest the border policies of the Biden administration.
A Wednesday release said Texas had sent more than 21,600 migrants to “sanctuary” cities like Chicago, New York City, Washington, and Denver since the migrant bus was launched last spring.
Abbott also asked his fellow governors for help with border security, citing the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) between the states.
