Texas has been actively engaging in various strategies, including passing laws and initiating legal battles, to address its disagreements with the federal government on managing the migrant situation at the US-Mexico border. The state has been involved in these efforts for nearly two years. In an attempt to distribute the responsibility, Texas has been sending asylum seekers to several sanctuary cities across the nation, including New York City, Chicago, Washington, DC, and Denver.
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, a Republican, has stated that this action aims to highlight and redistribute the challenges posed by the Biden administration’s border policies, which he believes disproportionately affect Texas. However, this initiative has also introduced financial strains for the state. Despite Governor Abbott’s initial claims that the migrant busing program would not burden taxpayers, it has been revealed that the program’s expenses have far exceeded the donations received, covering less than half of 1% of the total costs.
Here are the key points about Texas’ migrant busing program:
In April 2022, Texas began transporting migrants to Washington, DC, and later expanded this operation to other cities as a response to the Biden administration’s decision to end Title 42. This rule, established during the Trump presidency, significantly restricted asylum claims during the pandemic. The busing initiative started over a year before Title 42’s expiration in May 2023. Governor Abbott emphasized that Texas and Arizona were primarily bearing the consequences of border crossings, and through this program, he aimed to make the rest of the country aware of the situation.
The term “sanctuary city” or “sanctuary state” refers to places with policies designed to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The specifics of these policies can vary. Currently, at least 12 states are recognized as sanctuaries, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington. Additionally, several major cities outside these states, targeted by the Abbott administration, are also considered sanctuaries.
So far, Texas has transported over 100,000 migrants, primarily to New York City and Chicago. Although the program was initially presented as having no cost to the state, Texas taxpayers have ended up covering nearly $150 million for these operations. Governor Abbott has sought private donations to fund the program for nearly two years but has raised only about $550,000.
Some cities have faced challenges accommodating the sudden increase in asylum seekers. New York City Mayor Eric Adams sued several charter bus companies for more than $700 million to cover the expenses of caring for migrants since 2022. Chicago has passed an ordinance against unannounced migrant drop-offs, leading to a lawsuit from a charter bus company hired by Texas, which argues that the ordinance is unconstitutional.
Amidst these developments, Republican lawmakers have intensified their criticism of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, aiming to spotlight the issue in the lead-up to the 2024 election. Although a bipartisan group of senators reached a border compromise earlier this year, House Republicans, encouraged by former President Trump, have resisted the measure, which Democrats have defended as supportive of Biden’s agenda.
This report includes contributions from CNN’s Blake Ellis, Melanie Hicken, Kyung Lah, Allison Gordon, Gloria Pazmino, Alisha Ebrahimji, Amir Vera, Amy Simonson, Artemis Moshtaghian, Priscilla Alvarez, and MJ Lee.