Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Wednesday that the state will be sending illegal immigrants to Washington, DC by bus and plane after frustration from local leaders.
Abbott’s plan is a response to President Joe Biden’s recent announcement that the government would be lifting Title 42, a controversial policy implemented by former President Donald Trump back in March 2020 that allowed the U.S. Border Patrol to turn migrants away.
The order has since been used by both the Trump and Biden administration, with the latter arguing that it was necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19 inside border detention facilities. In February, approximately 55% of migrants were expelled due to Title 42, rather than being released into the country.
The border agency has expressed concern that lifting the order could lead to a possible surge in illegal immigrants that could overwhelm them. They also claim that a large number of migrants in Mexican cities are currently waiting for the policy to drop.
Abbott has tasked the Texas Division of Emergency Management to charter buses and flights to send migrants voluntarily to Washington.
“To help local officials whose communities are being overwhelmed by hordes of illegal immigrants who are being dropped off by the administration, Texas is providing charter buses to send these illegal immigrants who have been dropped off by the Biden Administration to Washington, DC,” Abbott said during a news conference.
Critics, however, called out the announcement as a political stunt since the governor is up for reelection.
“He’s wasting taxpayer dollars on a campaign tactic to demonize immigrants,” the Texas Civil Rights Project tweeted.
Abbott emphasized that only willing migrants who have been processed and released from federal custody would be sent to the nation’s capital.
“What better place for them to go to than the steps of the United States Capitol?” he said. “They get to see the wonderful Capitol, but also get closer to the people who are making these policies that are allowing people to come to the border illegally.”
Migrants are often released in Texas and other border states, allowing them to remain in the country temporarily but ordering them to appear in immigration court to make their case.
