Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas
Marco Bello/Reuters
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bused 42 migrants from the state’s border area to Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Daily News reported that the migrants were not given food or water during the 30-hour busride.
Abbott hinted there will be more to come. LA’s mayor accused him of pulling a “cheap” stunt and using humans as “pawns.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he arranged for dozens of migrants to be bused from Texas to California — a trip that took 30 hours where the immigrants weren’t given food or water, The Los Angeles Daily News reported.
According to the report, 42 migrants were dropped off at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and then taken to St. Anthony’s Croatian Catholic Church in Chinatown.
The bus ride from the Texas border area to Los Angeles was about 30 hours without food or water, said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, director of communications for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.
Eight of the migrants are children, including toddlers and babies, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
Immigration advocates told reporters they weren’t sure what Texas officials told the migrants to get them on the bus.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass excoriated the Texas governor, accusing him of pulling a cheap “stunt” that treated humans like “pawns.” She also told the Daily News that her office had been preparing for such an event given that Republican governors across the country have taken similar steps in recent months.
Meanwhile, Abbott hinted that there could be more migrant trips to come, saying that this was the “first bus” to be sent to Los Angeles.
“Texas’ small border towns remain overwhelmed and overrun by the thousands of people illegally crossing into Texas from Mexico because of President Biden’s refusal to secure the border,” Abbott said in a statement. “Los Angeles is a major city that migrants seek to go to, particularly now that its city leaders approved its self-declared sanctuary city status. Our border communities are on the front lines of President Biden’s border crisis, and Texas will continue providing this much-needed relief until he steps up to do his job and secure the border.”
Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made headlines after sending 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard without giving any notice.
The move drew sharp criticism from Massachusetts lawmakers and has now led a Texas sheriff to recommend pressing criminal charges. DeSantis — who recently announced he’s running for the GOP presidential nod in 2024 — started back up the flights earlier this month, sending two groups of migrants from Texas to California.