8,900 bused to Washington;
4,900 sent to New York City;
1,500 sent to Chicago;
630 sent to Philadelphia.
Abbott has drawn criticism after a bus from Texas dropped off more than 100 migrants in freezing weather near Vice President Kamala Harris’ official residence in Washington, D.C. An Austin American-Statesman report noted the state has bused nearly 16,000 migrants to so-called sanctuary cities. Abbott tweeted a breakdown of how many migrants have been bused to cities outside of Texas.
Thus far, 8,900 have been sent to Washington; 4,900 to New York City; more than 1,500 to Chicago; and more than 630 to Philadelphia. The governor has maintained in the past that the migrants have given permission to be bused North. The White House has called the move “a cruel, dangerous, and shameful stunt.”
“We’re providing relief to local communities overwhelmed by President Biden’s open border policies,” Abbott said.
The U.S. Supreme Court has so far stopped the Biden administration from eliminating Title 42, a federal rule enacted during by the Trump administration during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow the U.S. to return asylum-seeking migrants to Mexico or their country of origin.