Bus of migrants dropped off outside VP Kamala Harris' home

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 Dec 2022 17:45

A bus drops off a group of migrants near VP Kamala Harris' home, in an effort to put pressure on the Biden administration.

Bus of migrants dropped off outside VP Kamala Harris' home

Late on Saturday night, three buses bringing migrants from Texas arrived in Washington, D.C. One of the buses dropped off its passengers close to Vice President Kamala Harris' residence.

The US Vice President's residence is in the US Naval Observatory (USNO), and a drop of this kind is not new as Texas Governor Greg Abbott has bused migrants to Washington, D.C., on numerous occasions.

According to 7News reporter Christian Flores, the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network then assisted the migrants and transported them to a nearby church.

In an effort to put pressure on the Biden administration to take action on immigration enforcement and border security, Gov. Abbott started transporting migrants from border cities to the capital in April, which landed him heavy criticism.

The Texas governor explained his decision to move the migrants in a letter to President Biden that he was doing so because migrant housing facilities had to release residents outside onto the streets due to frigid conditions in places like El Paso.

"Your policies will leave many people in the bitter, dangerous cold as a polar vortex moves into Texas," Abbott wrote. "Texas has borne a lopsided burden caused by your open border policies."

The third and final bus of migrants of the night of migrants buses up to D.C. from Texas arriving, with Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network taking them to a church: pic.twitter.com/Y65B8RnilZ
— Christian Flores (@CFloresNews) December 25, 2022

The Republican also described the current border crisis as a "catastrophe" for which Biden was solely responsible. "This terrible crisis for border communities in Texas is a catastrophe of your own making," he wrote.

"The need to address this crisis is not the job of border states like Texas. Instead, the US Constitution dictates that it is your job, Mr. President, to defend the borders of our country, regulate our nation’s immigration, and manage those who seek refuge here," he added.

Abbott also cautioned that if the federal government abandons its Title 42 policy, which limits the number of immigrants who are permitted to enter the United States, the problem will only grow worse.

The Department of Homeland Security projects between 9,000 and 15,000 migrant encounters a day once the policy ends, a surge that would add to the already highest annual total of encounters in US history.

The Texas National Guard is doing the federal government’s job at our border.

They’re working around the clock to stop illegal crossings into Texas, including on Christmas Day.

Thank your for protecting our state & our nation. pic.twitter.com/C4xCLAbCMB
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 23, 2022

Earlier this year, 101 migrants on board two buses sent by Texan governor Greg Abbott were dropped off next to Vice President Kamala Harris' home in Washington, D.C., on September 15, according to American sources.

The 101 migrants were picked up in Eagle Pass, Texas, and were sent to Washington under the care and supervision of the non-profit organization Sanctuary DMV. According to the organization, it had arranged for a church to offer them a "safe location".

Most of the migrants were from South American countries, such as Venezuela, Uruguay, Colombia, and Mexico.

Abbott has previously sent dozens of buses of migrants across northern parts of the US, including New York, DC, and Chicago. Texas’ migrant buses are meant to send a message about immigration and antagonize Democrats as Southern states have been protesting the White House's inability to manage the border and migrant crises by relocating migrants to so-called sanctuary states.