After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C) declared the ending of the “Title 42” order, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced he will start sending undocumented immigrants to Washington D.C by bus or plane if they are willing to go.
In a news conference last week, Abbott said local leaders in Texas are tired of the federal government releasing migrants into their communities.” He told reporters his plan is a response to the lifting of the “Title 42” order, which was enacted by President Trump at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The order has stopped most migrants from entering the U.S. and applying for asylum over the last 2 years.
The Biden Administration affirmed that the order would end by May 23rd, 2022, an action that was praised amongst civil rights organizations but has also generated backlash from Republican politicians, such as Abbott.
Abbot said that the plan to transport migrants out of Texas is just one of the many decisions he will be announcing. He has also directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to charter buses and flights to flight out willing migrants who have been processed and released from federal custody.
Abbott said, “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.”
The relocation trips from Texas to D.C., if they were to take place, will be funded by Texas taxpayers, through the Texas Legislature for Border Security. In the past, Governor Abbott has also used the Texas National Guard to police the U.S. border and suggested plans to build a border wall.
Critics and Civil Rights organizations alike have criticized the announcement, labeling it a political stunt, and pointing out that the governor is up for reelection.
“He’s wasting taxpayer dollars on a campaign tactic to demonize immigrants,” the Texas Civil Rights Project stated.
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