REVEALED: Texas spent a staggering $86.1 MILLION busing migrants to New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Denver at a cost of $1,650 per migrant
Texas spent more than $86 million transporting migrants out of its state to self-declared sanctuary cities that claimed to welcome migrants with open arms, until they too were swamped with asylum seekers.
At a cost of $1,650 per migrant, Texas spent millions on the border transportation operation between April 2022 and October 2023, according to a report from Axios.
About 67,500 migrants have volunteered to board state charters, according to the latest figure from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office.
Migrants must sign a waiver stating that they understand where they are being taken and that they boarded the buses of their own free will.
When Abbott started the program, he promised that Texas would not bear the burden of the border crisis alone.
Migrants board an Abbott bus in Del Rio, Texas, bound for Chicago
Arriving from Brownsville, Texas, migrants will arrive in New York, where they will be processed at the Roosevelt Hotel
A legal waiver that migrants must sign before boarding a Texas-funded bus
Texas Governor Greg Abbot attends the event for Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump during his visit to the southern border in Edinburg, Texas, US on November 19
“President Biden’s continued refusal to secure our border is leading to thousands of illegal crossings into Texas and our country every day,” Governor Abbott said.
“Texas communities like Eagle Pass and El Paso should not have to endure the unprecedented wave of illegal immigration caused by President Biden’s reckless open border policies.”
New York has received the most migrants since August 2022, with 24,200 people bused to the Big Apple.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, it’s still a drop in the ocean compared to the 1.3 million migrants Texas received between October 2022 and September.
Since President Joe Biden took office in 2001, 3.8 million migrants have crossed the southern border into the Lone Star State.
When Abbott first sent buses to Gotham in August 2022, New York Mayor Eric Adams’ spokesperson told the media, “New York will continue to welcome asylum seekers with an open arm.”
A year later, Adams had completely changed his tune.
‘I don’t see an end to this. This issue will destroy New York City,” Adams declared in September.
Leaders in the Big Apple then continued their about-face, first with buses to Canada in February and more recently, offering to buy one-way out-of-town tickets for migrants wanting to leave the five boroughs.
Texas, which shares a border with Mexico, has borne the brunt of the border crisis. About 3.8 million migrants have entered the Lone Star State since 2001, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
In August 2022, New York Mayor Eric Adams welcomed migrants and asylum seekers arriving from Texas at Port Authority, saying he was proud that New York is a receiving state.
Hundreds of refugees slept outside the Roosevelt Hotel in August as the historic establishment was turned into a migrant camp
Thousands of asylum seekers have been bused to major cities from border states including Texas, as unprecedented numbers continue to enter the United States
Chicago has taken the second-most migrants off Abbot’s buses: 19,700 since last August.
Washington, D.C. was the first city to receive migrants from Abbott, with the first busloads dropped off at Fox News offices in April 2022, where TV cameras were rolling near the nation’s capital.
So far, 12,500 asylum seekers have been dropped off in the capital, including several busloads dropped off near the home of Vice President Kamala Harris — who was named border czar by President Biden — on Christmas Eve 2022 and again in May. .
‘Worthless @GovAbbott rips off people with no money and no resources on Christmas Eve in 15 degree weather near the Vice President’s residence,’ San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro has criticized Abbott online.
“How Christian of you, Greg Abbott,” he added. “If you’re a heartless POS, you’re not going to be the next Republican president.”
More than 6,800 migrants have been received in Denver since May.
The state of Colorado also transported migrants to New York City and Chicago last winter before suspending its program. Politico reported.
Officials in all receiving cities have complained that they had received no notice that migrants were heading their way.
Albuquerque’s mayor says he expects to start receiving migrants from Texas after hearing about a charter company working with Lone Star officials.
“The Texas Governor’s cowardly actions reflect his failure to lead in difficult times – we need solutions, not dangerous, life-threatening stunts,” said Mayor Tim Kelle.