Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Sends Fifth Bus of Illegal Immigrants to Los Angeles
Another bus carrying illegal immigrants arrived in downtown Los Angeles from Texas on Saturday, the fifth bus since June 14, according to Mayor Karen Bass’ office.
The bus came from Brownsville, Texas, ABC7 reported, in Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s effort to send illegal immigrants to cities that have called themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigration, especially New York and Washington.
“The city has continued to work with city departments, the county, and a coalition of nonprofit organizations, in addition to our faith partners, to execute a plan set in place earlier this year,” the mayor’s office said in the July 22 statement. “As we have before, when we became aware of the bus yesterday, we activated our plan.”
The bus carried 44 people from Mexico, Colombia, China, Haiti, Honduras, Peru, and Venezuela. There were 14 children among them, aged between 2 and 14 years old.
The illegal immigrants were sent to Cathedral High School in Chinatown after arriving in Los Angeles, where they were given medical tests, food, and access to resources. Most of them were reunited with family members, and many have already filed for asylum, ABC7 reported.
An organization helping the illegal immigrants, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), criticized Mr. Abbott for “dehumanizing” the people sent there, framing Texas’ efforts, also known as Operation Lone Star, in a negative light.
An earlier bus from Texas arrived in Los Angeles on July 18.
Another organization helping illegal immigrants in Los Angeles, called “L.A. Welcome Collective,” made statements regarding the earlier arrival.
The group, which is composed of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, Central American Resource Center–Los Angeles, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Esperanza Immigration Rights Project, and Immigrant Defenders Law Center, issued a statement on July 19.
“The L.A. Welcomes Collective reiterates our commitment to work hand in hand with our City of Los Angeles and County of Los Angeles partners to receive and guide asylum seekers when they arrive,” it said. “As a united front, we hope to serve as a beacon of hope to those seeking safe harbor as well as advocate for every human being be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of immigration status.”
Operation Lone Star
In May, Mr. Abbott stepped up Texas’ border security measures with the tactical deployment of hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers to join the thousands already deployed as part of Operation Lone Star. The deployment serves on the new border force as a response to the ending of Title 42, a policy enacted by former President Donald Trump that curbed illegal immigration during the pandemic.
According to Mr. Abbott’s office, the governor has secured $4 billion for border security. He also designated Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations amid the growing national fentanyl crisis and signed a law that increased penalties for the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl.
Mr. Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for the border crisis, along with an executive order authorizing the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to return illegal immigrants to the border at ports of entry.
Texas passed 15 laws cracking down on human trafficking, as this criminal activity is related to the open borders policy.
“Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 394,200 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 31,300 criminal arrests, with more than 29,100 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, Texas law enforcement has seized over 422 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission,” the governor’s office said.
Texas has bused over 27,000 illegal immigrants to Washington, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles since April 2022.
Floating Barriers Cause Backlash
Texas has also put floating marine barriers in the Rio Grande to deter illegal crossings near Eagle Pass.
The move caused strong reactions from the Biden administration and other politicians. The Justice Department warned officials in Texas that the federal government will sue the state unless it removes the marine barriers in the Rio Grande.
Responding on Twitter, Mr. Abbott emphasized that Texas has the sovereign authority to defend the Texas-Mexico Border.
“The tragic humanitarian crisis on the border was created because of Biden’s refusal to secure the border,” Mr. Abbott said. “We will continue to deploy every strategy to protect Texas and Americans—and the migrants risking their lives. We will see you in court, Mr. President.”
In a July 21 news release, the governor’s office said there are no directions or orders under Operation Lone Star that would compromise the lives of those attempting to cross the border illegally.
“The Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Military Department continue taking steps to monitor migrants in distress, provide appropriate medical attention when needed, and encourage them to use one of the 29 international bridges along the Texas-Mexico Border where they can safely and legally cross.
“With migrants from over 150 countries encouraged by open border policies to risk their lives and make this dangerous trek to enter our country illegally, Texas is deploying every tool and strategy to deter and repel illegal crossings between ports of entry,” the release said.
Mexico’s Political Response
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged Mexican-Americans not to vote for Mr. Abbott in response to Texas putting the barrier in the Rio Grande.
Mexico’s incoming foreign minister, Alicia Barcena, said the barrier violates a water treaty and may intrude on Mexican territory.
“We don’t have to do much, just tell our compatriots not to vote for the governor of Texas or for lawmakers of the Republican Party who support these measures,” Lopez Obrador said in a press conference when asked about the Texan initiative.
Barcena said Mexico had sent a diplomatic letter to the United States in June about the issue as she explained her government is dispatching a mission to inspect where the buoys are located.
Reuters contributed to this report.
