Immigration Advocates Condemn ‘Egregious’ Forced Migration From Texas

By Alexandra Martinez, Prism

Over the past month, thousands of asylum-seekers who crossed the Texas-Mexico border have been transported by bus to New York City. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott approved the move and has already sent over 6,000 asylum-seekers by bus to Washington, D.C., since April. Immigration advocates say Abbott’s decision is a cruel, politically motivated stunt intended to overwhelm the shelter systems while sending a message to President Joe Biden to close the border. Gov. Abbott’s policy has even inspired Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is now planning to send Cuban asylum-seekers on buses to Delaware, Biden’s home state.

Abbott’s ongoing forced migration has separated thousands of asylum-seekers from their families, complicated an already precarious immigration legal process, and further inundated New York City’s shelter centers without providing any actual humanitarian aid. While asylum-seekers who cross the border have already survived a dangerous voyage, advocates say it is only the beginning of another leg of trauma and displacement.

“At this point, the governor of Texas is a coyote,” said Frankie Miranda, the president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation. “He is transporting people—human beings—for his own benefit and exploiting them for his own benefit.”