Abbott sends migrants from Texas to Los Angeles for the first time

For the third time in less than two weeks, a group of Hispanic asylum seekers were abruptly sent to California on Wednesday, the latest episode in a months-long political protest by the Republican governors of Florida and Texas against Democratic immigration policies.

said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in a statement that his administration had orchestrated the move, which saw at least 42 migrants, including children and toddlers, bussed from Texas to Los Angeles. It was the first time either of the two Republican governors had sent migrants to the city.

California and Los Angeles authorities confirmed that the bus arrived at Union Station from McAllen, Texas around 4 p.m. and that the migrants, who had traveled for two days, were offered shelter and legal assistance.

Mr Abbott said his state sent them across state lines because “small border towns in Texas are being overrun” and President Biden “refuses to secure the border”. In a swipe at a California law and a new Los Angeles ordinance restricting the use of local resources in federal immigration enforcement, Mr. Abbott added that Los Angeles “is a big city that migrants want to come to, especially now that city leaders have approved its self-declared sanctuary city status.

State officials said Los Angeles nonprofits had been given advance notice of the move, unlike what happened before two planeloads of migrants arrived in Sacramento earlier this month with the support of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

On Wednesday, city, county and state assistance was coordinated by the Los Angeles Emergency Operations Center and a welcome center was established in Chinatown, near Union Station. The city also provided temporary shelter and children were provided with Play-Doh, Monopoly, Barbie dolls and other toys.

“This didn’t surprise us,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. said on Twitter. “Los Angeles is not a city motivated by hatred or fear and we absolutely will not be guided or moved by petty politicians playing with human lives.”

It was not immediately clear on Wednesday whether the migrants had agreed to travel to California or what they had been told about traveling west. After a migrant trip funded by Florida this month, California Governor Gavin Newsom suggested Mr. DeSantis could be charged with kidnapping, accusing Florida contractors of forcing people onto planes under false pretenses. Mr. Newsom’s office issued a statement accusing Texas of “demonizing asylum seekers,” but the Democratic governor did not indict Mr. Abbott as he did Mr. DeSantis.

Jorge-Mario Cabrera, a spokesperson for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, an immigrant rights organization, said the migrants were largely Central American. He said eight children, who appeared to be between the ages of 2 and 9, were part of the group, all accompanied by adults.

Some migrants were separated from other family members at the border, said Lindsay Toczylowski of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center. Angelica Salas, CHIRLA’s executive director, said at least one asylum seeker had imminent immigration court far from California in another state.

She said members of her group heard yesterday that a bus might arrive on Wednesday, but said they were wary because they’ve had multiple false alarms in the past. DeSantis and Abbott have been sending migrants by bus and plane to Democratic-run places like New York, Chicago and Martha’s Vineyard for months with little or no notice, in an effort to underscore Republican calls for stricter immigration enforcement.

It’s not uncommon for asylum seekers to be voluntarily transferred between states for court dates or because of proximity to sponsors, but these types of moves are usually done with official notice and are highly coordinated by state governments and non-profit organizations.

In heavily Democratic Los Angeles, the move was widely denounced. Kevin de León, a city councilman who, as legislative leader, wrote the 2017 state law cited by both Florida and Texas governors, called the move “abhorrent” on Wednesday and accused Mr. Abbott of “callously hurting vulnerable people.” to trade”. around for cheap political points.”

Another councillor, Eunisses Hernandez, whose district includes the Chinatown church where the migrants were welcomed, said Mr Abbott “wasn’t strong enough to handle the moment in his state”.

“But that’s okay,” she added, “because all these people here in Los Angeles and California are more than capable of welcoming these people.”