Texas officials sent a bus full of migrants to Philadelphia for the first time in months on Wednesday, as the state braces for the end of Title 42 and the influx of migrants that is expected to follow.
Philadelphia officials plan to hold a press conference regarding the arrival later Wednesday. Texas first began sending buses to Philadelphia in November 2022 and has so far sent more than a dozen. Texas has not targeted the city with the same volume of buses as New York City or Chicago.
"One bus with approximately 31 individuals seeking asylum arrived this morning in Philadelphia at approximately 6 a.m., marking 20 buses total since November of last year. Upon arrival at 30th Street Station, 26 of them were transported to the City’s welcoming facility on E. Luzerne Street in North Philadelphia. All of those on board are from Venezuela," the city said in a statement.
NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAYS 'MIGRANT CRISIS' UNDER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS 'DESTROYED' CITY
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced news initiatives to secure the Texas-Mexico border in anticipation of the ending of Title 42. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Texas has set thousands of migrants to sanctuary cities across the country in recent months in an effort to alleviate pressure on his state's border towns. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua via Getty Images)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been the most vocal opponent of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's busing program. Adams accused Abbott last week of targeting "Black mayors" with the program. He later insisted the comment was not an accusation of racism.
"Let's be clear … I never used the term racist. That was a little creative journalism that was used," Adams said Tuesday. "But let's look at the facts. 108,000 cities in New York. One-hundred and eight thousand. Governor Abbott sent asylum seekers to New York – Black mayor; to Washington – Black mayor; to Houston – Black mayor; to Los Angeles – Black mayor; to Denver – Black mayor. He passed over thousands of cities to land here."
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is White, and his city has been receiving buses since November.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent checks for identification of immigrants as they wait to be processed by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the border from Mexico on Dec. 30, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
The latest bus to Philadelphia comes in the shadow of Title 42's expiration on Thursday. The program, a public health order first implemented under former President Trump, allows border authorities to reject asylum seekers unilaterally if they come from countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.