The State of Texas is telling mayors of sanctuary cities in other states to “gear up” as “more migrant buses are on the way.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered additional buses to transport migrants being released onto the streets of border communities.
“I have directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to deploy additional buses to send these migrants to self-declared sanctuary cities and provide much-needed relief to our overrun border towns,” Governor Abbott said in a written statement on Friday. “Until President Biden upholds his constitutional duty to secure America’s southern border, Texas will continue to deploy as many buses as needed to relieve the strain caused by the surge of illegal crossings.”
The governor tasked the Texas Division of Emergency Management to increase the number of buses available to move migrants released onto border-town streets to sanctuary cities in other states. So far, these cities include Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles.
TDEM spokesman Seth Christensen told Breitbart Texas on Saturday, “The state of Texas has access to as many buses as necessary to provide relief to our overwhelmed border communities from the massive number of migrants being processed and released by the federal government onto their streets.”
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During the first three weeks of September, Border Patrol agents apprehended nearly 87,000 migrants who crossed the border into the five Texas-based border sectors. This is an average of more than 4,100 migrants per day since September 1.
The Texas-based sectors account for nearly 60 percent of all migrants apprehended along the southwest border with Mexico, according to unofficial Border Patrol reports reviewed by Breitbart Texas.
Christensen told Breitbart there is a near-constant flow of buses out of the Rio Grande Valley Sector cities of Brownsville and McAllen. The RGV Sector is the busiest of the Texas-based sectors this month, with the apprehension of more than 31,000 migrants in three weeks, the reports indicate.
The Del Rio and El Paso Sector apprehensions fell slightly behind the RGV Sector with nearly 29,000 and 25,000 apprehensions, respectively.
“President Biden’s continued refusal to secure our border invites thousands of illegal crossings into Texas and our nation each day,” Gov. Abbott stated. “Texas communities like Eagle Pass and El Paso should not have to shoulder the unprecedented surge of illegal immigration caused by President Biden’s reckless open border policies.”
The Office of the Texas Governor reported:
In April 2022, Governor Abbott directed TDEM to charter transportation for migrants who have been processed and released by the federal government into Texas communities. To board a bus, a migrant must volunteer to be transported and show documentation of their release from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
To date, Texas has bused:
- Over 11,900 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
- Over 14,800 migrants to New York City since August 2022
- Over 8,700 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
- Over 3,000 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
- Over 1,500 migrants to Denver since May 18
- Over 610 migrants to Los Angeles since June 14
Since Abbott began busing migrants to these sanctuary cities, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has become an outspoken critic of the Biden administration’s policies on border security and immigration.
Three days ago, Mayor Adams warned President Joe Biden of the “tremendous toll” the “asylum seekers” are placing on his city, Breitbart’s Elaine Mallon reported. His warning came as the president prepared to travel to New York City for a meeting at the United Nations.
“President Biden is coming to the city,” Adams said on Thursday. “New York doesn’t deserve this. The asylum seekers don’t deserve this.”
The president, however, did not meet with the outspoken mayor. Instead, he met with New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
“Had a very productive conversation with President Biden tonight regarding some of our specific requests for help with the migrant crisis. Also commended him on his leadership at the UN today,” Hochul posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Since beginning the migrant busing program in April 2022, Texas bused more than 40,000 migrants to the cities of Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.