Five migrants who spoke to CNN said they were from Venezuela and arrived at the US-Mexico border on Sunday. They seek asylum and are released while undergoing immigration procedures.
After their release, the migrants said they were offered a voluntary bus trip to the District of Columbia. The bus was parked in front of the building near the US Capitol, including the Fox News DC office, where the network broadcast live migrants.
The bus journey is over 30 hours, with food and water provided, migrants said. And while it was a long journey, it was a good trip, according to the migrants CNN spoke to.
“They treated us well,” said Juan Luis Rondon Martinez, a Venezuelan migrant who came on the bus.
Abbott, a Republican running for re-election this fall, has been a sharp critic of the Biden administration’s immigration policy and has tried to enter headlines with countermeasures.
“By transporting migrants to Washington, D.C., the Biden administration will be able to respond more directly to the needs of people who are allowed to cross our border,” Abbott said in a statement. “Texas should not bear the brunt of the Biden administration’s failure to secure our border.
The charter bus rides were paid for by Texas taxpayers with funds provided by the Texas Legislature for Border Security, the Texas Emergency Management Department told CNN.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry said that “through its Southwest Border Coordination Center, DHS is implementing carefully designed plans to manage the handling and transportation of non-citizens arriving at the border.” The interest of each individual country in helping to implement our plans must be carefully coordinated with us. “
A Fox spokesman did not comment immediately.
Once migrants are processed by federal authorities and released from custody, they are allowed to travel throughout the country while undergoing immigration lawsuits. Ultimately, an immigration judge will decide whether they are allowed to stay in the United States or be deported.
They are expected to report to the Immigration and Customs Services at their final destination, said an ICE official.
Catholic Charities DC, which provides social services such as food and medical care, had staff to help when migrants were left behind, according to group spokeswoman Kate Kennedy.
RELATED: Mexican truck drivers block major US and Mexican entry point in protest of Texas border checks
“They’re tired, they’re hungry. They need clothes, a shower. They want a change of clothes and a shower,” said Sister Charlette Wagner of Catholic Charities DC.
Catholic charities DC have also bought bus tickets for migrants to travel to other cities, including Miami.
Abbott announced his plan last week, saying he wanted to send migrant buses to the front steps of the US Capitol in response to the Biden administration’s announcement that it would repeal a pandemic-era health order known as Title 42, which allowed immigration. officials to return migrants to the border.
Abbott’s office clarified that the transport was voluntary and that “in order to board a bus or a flight, the migrant must have a volunteer transported and show DHS documentation”.
However, critics condemned Abbot’s move as a political ploy, saying it was for re-election.
The Biden administration has called on Abbott to act in response to Biden’s plans to repeal Trump’s 42nd-era pandemic policy, warning that the Texas governor’s latest moves include a new policy that tightens state security checks on incoming trade. in the United States – the border with Mexico in Texas – cause “significant” disruptions in the supply chain.
“Unnecessary and unnecessary inspections by Governor Abbott of trucks passing through ports of entry between Texas and Mexico are causing significant disruption to food and car supply chains, slowing production, affecting jobs and raising prices for families in Texas and across the country.” said the White House. spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement Wednesday.
Abbott announced later Wednesday that he would suspend intensified inspections by a Mexican state after the order caused hours of traffic delays at border crossings.
“The Nuevo Leon-Texas bridge will return to normal immediately. Right now, “Abbott told a news conference with Samuel Alejandro Garcia Sepulveda, governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.
Abbott said inspections at the Laredo-Columbia International Solidarity Bridge would return to the policy in place before his announcement last week, which ordered all commercial vehicles to be re-inspected by Texas authorities.
The new agreement, signed by the two governors on Wednesday, will only put an end to inspections of the Laredo-Columbia Bridge, which connects Nuevo Leon and Texas. All other bridges connecting Texas and Mexico will continue to be subject to Abbott’s new policy.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Amy Simonson, Veronica Stracualursi, Sarah Fortinski and Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
Add Comment