Another bus of migrants from Brownsville, Texas, has arrived in Los Angeles as a part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s ongoing strategy to relieve the strain on communities being overwhelmed by the crisis at the southern border.
Arriving in LA a little after 12:30 p.m. on July 11, the 35 migrants comprise the third Texas bus to arrive in the city. The busload represents the most recent step in Abbott’s busing program, which has sent over 25,000 migrants to self-proclaimed sanctuary cities, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Zach Seidl, a representative for LA Mayor Karen Bass, explained that the city has been working with “a coalition of nonprofit organizations, in addition to our faith partners, to execute a plan set in place earlier this year,” per ABC 7 KABC.
Gloria Cruz, a director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, additionally suggested, “As an Immigrant rights organization advocating for humane and compassionate integration of migrants to our society, we know how important it is for recently arrived asylum seekers to encounter humanitarian services, veritable information about immigration laws, and coordination between different entities, in the city that receives them,” per ABC 7.
“As we have said before, regardless of where they come from, mode of transportation, or intent, we will make every effort to maximize our limited resources to receive asylum seekers with dignity and respect,” she continued.
Nonetheless, Abbott’s busing initiative has drawn the ire of some California officials.
State Rep. Isaac Bryan previously tweeted, “This is not leadership. This is not compassion. Those seeking safety and refuge deserve better… we all deserve better.”
Echoing this sentiment, state Sen. Scott Wiener likewise wrote, “Sanctuary means people choose to go somewhere & we then treat them like human beings when they arrive. As opposed to treating people as sub-human & dumping them in a city thousands of miles away.”
President Joe Biden’s administration has disbursed hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in law enforcement grants to sanctuaries like those in California, despite their apparent commitment to subverting federal immigration law, as covered by The Dallas Express.
“People should be upset that cities like Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., are raking in this money while obstructing federal law enforcement,” Jessica Vaughan, the director of policy research for the Center of Immigration Studies, explained. “The money should be going to the jurisdictions that are doing the right thing.”
The Federation for American Immigration Reform estimated that as of June 2023, roughly 16,800,000 unlawful migrants reside in the U.S., costing citizens $150.6 billion.
Nevertheless, President Biden and members of his administration have repeatedly claimed that the border is secure.