The convoy arrived at the Naval Observatory on December 24, where it was reportedly greeted by a nonprofit group to provide aid to the over 100 people aboard the buses in below-freezing temperatures.
Abbott launched a program in April whereby noncitizens with federal documentation could be transported to cities across the country, such as Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Abbott pitched the move as a way to force Biden’s hand to respond to the border crisis. The governor’s office said on Friday that 8,700 noncitizens have been sent to those locations since the first bus left Texas.
In a widely reported statement, Abdullah Hasan, a spokesman for the White House, accused Abbott of perpetrating a “cruel, dangerous, and shameful stunt.”
Hasan said, “As we have repeatedly said, we are willing to work with anyone — Republican or Democrat alike — on real solutions, like the comprehensive immigration reform and border security measures President Biden sent to Congress on his first day in office, but these political games accomplish nothing and only put lives in danger.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams also lashed out at Abbott in October as resources for the city’s homeless population quickly drained to care for noncitizens being sent by Texas.
In a rebuttal, Abbott press secretary Renae Eze called President Biden the “Hypocrite-in-Chief.”
“Instead of their hypocritical complaints about Texas providing much-needed relief to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities, President Biden and Border Czar Harris need to step up and do their jobs to secure the border — something they continue failing to do,” Eze told the media.
In September, Harris commented in a media appearance that the southern border is already secure.
“We have a secure border in that that is a priority for any nation, including ours and our administration, but there are still a lot of problems that we are trying to fix given the deterioration that happened over the last four years,” Harris said, referring to the Trump administration.
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court could lift an administrative stay that prevented the end of expulsions under the Title 42 public health order instituted at the beginning of the pandemic. It has been used to rapidly expel those who cross the border illegally.
When the order is lifted, the federal government will resume operating strictly under the regular immigration laws found in Title 8 of the U.S. Code.
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."
