Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Friday that he has directed the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) to deploy more buses to Eagle Pass and El Paso in the state to transport migrants Transport to “self-declared shelters in other cities to provide additional services.” Our border cities need relief. “
“President Biden’s continued refusal to secure our border allows thousands of people to illegally cross into Texas and our country every day,” Abbott said in a statement from the governor’s office.
“Texas communities like Eagle Pass and El Paso They should not have to endure an unprecedented increase in illegal immigration This is a result of President Biden’s reckless open border policy,” Abbott stressed.
The text states that the activation of buses in El Paso and Eagle Pass will be added to ongoing state bus operations in Brownsville, Del Rio, Laredo and McAllen.
In April 2022, Abbott directed TDEM to charter buses to transport immigrants released by the federal government in Texas to other states.
Migrants must do this to board buses, according to statement “Volunteer” and “Produce documents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to release them”.
Abbott emphasized that “until President Biden fulfills his constitutional obligation to secure the United States’ southern border, Texas will continue to deploy as many buses as possible to ease tensions caused by the increase in illegal border crossings.”
The governor’s office said in a communication that so far, Texas has sent more than 40,000 immigrants to cities such as Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles.
A 3-year-old girl rides on an Abbott Laboratories immigration bus from Brownsville, Texas, to Chicago. He died on Thursday, August 10, due to health issues.
On September 7, it was reported that after an autopsy, the girl suffered from pneumonia and intestinal problems.
The minor, Jismary Alejandra Barboza González, was driving on Highway 57. Be part of a group of immigrants traveling through Marion County in southern Illinois – about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of St. Louis.
The minor died of bacterial colitis and aspiration pneumonia caused by Shigella flexneri, an intestinal disease, according to an autopsy report conducted by Marion County Coroner Troy Cannon.
Measures taken by Abbott
Abbott’s measures include deploying thousands of Texas National Guard troops and members of the Texas Department of Public Safety to the border as part of his policy to curb immigration.
Additionally, the governor ordered the installation of buoys in the Rio Grande River The purpose is to prevent immigrants from entering the United States.
Last Thursday, September 7, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Temporarily halts judge’s order requiring Texas to remove buoys He placed it in the Rio Grande.
Wednesday’s ruling by federal Judge David Ezra marks a tentative victory for the Biden administration, which on July 24 challenged Texas and its governor, Republican Gray Greg Abbott sued.
A Justice Department filing in the lawsuit said the 787-foot buoy is located in Mexico.
Judge Ezra ordered the state to remove the buoys by Sept. 15 and prohibited the state from installing similar structures in the Rio Grande.
Controversy over buses carrying immigrants
Buses transporting migrants have been the focus of criticism because they are seen as a political ploy.
Last Monday, May 2, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat, asked Abbott to stop the practice.
Lightfoot complained in a letter earlier Sunday that the city did not have enough resources to handle the influx of visitors. Some migrants are held in public places such as police stations until they find shelter.
Chicago has been grappling with resettlement issues, with social service organizations complaining about a lack of space.
The president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police filed a complaint on May 2 alleging that the city is housing immigrants in its police departments. One of the complaints from social service groups and cities about Abbott’s migrant transportation is that his office lacks coordination and does not have the time or capacity to accommodate the influx.
‘Abbott is trying hard to act like a jerk on this issue’Joshua Hoyt, co-president of the American Business Immigration Alliance, an immigration advocacy group, said at the time that he had volunteered locally to help deal with the influx of immigrants.
The Republican governor responded in a letter at the time, saying Chicago’s problems were minimal compared to what Texas border communities were experiencing.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said on August 9, when seeking help from the state and federal governments to deal with the resulting emergency, “Our compassion may be unlimited, but our resources But it’s not.” Nearly 100,000 asylum seekers have arrived since 2022, most by bus from Texas.
Adams estimate City could spend more than $12 billion In fiscal years 2023, 2024 and 2025, accommodation, food and other services will be provided to the thousands of asylum seekers who may arrive during that period, as explained in a news release, adding that by 2023, the city $1.45 billion has been spent.
The mayor estimated at the time that if current trends continued, the city would be caring for 100,000 immigrants by 2025.