Texas Gov. Abbott vows more migrants to NYC and other cities until Biden ‘secures the border’
Texas has bused nearly 70,000 migrants to so-called sanctuary cities and will continue to do so until President Biden “secures the border,” Gov. Greg Abbott warned Wednesday.
More than one-third of migrants bused out of Texas – 25,000 – were routed to New York City under a state border security and burden-sharing effort launched by the Republican governor in 2021, dubbed Operation Lone Star.
“Texas will bus migrants to sanctuary cities until Biden secures the border,” Abbott wrote in an Instagram story post on Wednesday, sharing the latest breakdown of which cities have received the most migrants from the Texas busing program.
“Over 12,500 to DC. Over 25,000 to New York City. Over 20,000 to Chicago. Over 3,200 to Philadelphia. Over 7,400 to Denver. Over 1,100 to Los Angeles,” the governor noted, adding, “Our mission provides vital relief to border towns.”
The figures released by Abbott Wednesday represent an increase of more than 19,000 since Oct. 6, the state’s last update on the number of migrants bused out of border towns.
The influx of migrants in blue states, many far from the southern border, has created strife between Democratic state and local officials and the Biden administration. It has also beleaguered resources in cities receiving the most migrants.
As of Wednesday, New York City’s surging migrant population included 121,300 people in the city’s care, of which over 66,400 are asylum-seekers.
Over 146,000 asylum-seekers have come through New York’s intake system since last spring, according to City Hall.
The surge has overwhelmed city resources, including schools and shelters, and Democratic Mayor Eric Adams has called on the 81-year-old president to act on the crisis more than three dozen times.
The city claims it had to open 213 emergency shelter sites to house New York’s soaring migrant population. Last week, more than 2,600 new asylum seekers entered New York’s care, according to City Hall.
In August, New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul demanded that Biden address the issue in her first public appeal to the White House since the crisis began in Spring 2022.
“This crisis originated with the federal government, and it must be resolved through the federal government,” Hochul said in remarks made on Aug. 24, revealing that her demands were sent to the president in a letter.
A spokesman for the Texas governor argued that the crisis New York is facing is “Biden-made” and that the issues the city is dealing with are only “a fraction” of what border towns face daily.
“Governor Abbott launched the border bus mission in April 2022 to provide support to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities as the Biden Administration dumps thousands of migrants in their towns. Texas has since bused over 70,000 migrants to self-declared sanctuary cities, providing much-needed relief,” Andrew Mahaleris, the Texas governor’s press secretary, told The Post.
“With millions of residents, New York is only dealing with a fraction of what our small border communities deal with on a day-to-day basis, as Texas has only bused about 25,000 migrants to New York City while President Biden has been flying planeloads of migrants all around the country and oftentimes in the cover of night. Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue busing migrants to sanctuary cities to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis,” he added.
Abbott launched the migrant busing program in April 2022 in an effort to force blue states to share the burden that Texas has faced as a result of record numbers of illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers crossing the border from Mexico into the US since Biden took office.
Other states have since followed Abbott’s lead.
Arizona started a migrant busing program under former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey last year that has expanded under his Democratic successor, Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Under Hobbs, the state has bussed 26,513 asylum-seekers out of Arizona since January, according to Axios. Ducey transported more than 3,000 asylum seekers before his term ended.
In May, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation empowering the Sunshine State to relocate migrants elsewhere from any state in the country.
The legislation codifies an effort led by DeSantis last year that saw the state fly migrants from Texas to destinations, such as Martha’s Vineyard and Sacramento, that have sanctuary policies in place.
