Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on June 14 that the Lone Star State has transported a group of illegal immigrants to Los Angeles for the first time, a move described by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass as a “despicable stunt.”
“Texas just dropped off the 1st bus of migrants in Los Angeles,” Abbott, a Republican, wrote on Twitter.
Around 40 illegal immigrants, including families with children, arrived in Los Angeles via bus on June 14. They were provided care and support services at St. Anthony’s Croatian Catholic Church in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood, according to officials and service providers.
In a statement, Abbott repeated his justification for the relocation, saying Texas border towns are overwhelmed as thousands of individuals continue to cross the U.S.–Mexico border under President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
“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,” Abbott said in a statement.
One of the arrivals, a man from Honduras, has an immigration parole court date in New York, according to migrant advocate Jorge-Mario Cabrera, spokesman for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), who expressed doubt in comments to the Los Angeles Times about the appropriateness of busing the man to California.
Under Abbott’s direction, the Texas Division of Emergency Management has transported more than 21,600 illegal immigrants from border towns to Democrat-led sanctuary cities, including Washington, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and most recently, Denver, since April 2022. The leaders of these cities, which have been unprepared for the arrivals, have criticized the strategy as racist and a political stunt.
LA Mayor Says City Prepared
Video footage shared by Fox News shows the group of illegal immigrants, including families with young children, arriving in Los Angeles with luggage and soft toys. They made a stop at Union Station before being taken to a welcoming center, where they were provided with food and other services, such as attorneys, by city agencies and nonprofits.
