Immigration Advocates Condemn ‘Egregious’ Forced Migration From Texas

Roughly 9,000 migrants from Texas have been bused to Washington, D.C., and New York City since April

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.”