Gov. Greg Abbott has been busing fewer migrants to Democratic cities, despite his claims that he’ll keep busing migrants.
According to data obtained by the Houston Chronicle, Abbott bused about 77,000 migrants to Democrat cities in the second half of 2023, compared to about 17,000 migrants to just three cities in the last six months.
The drop in the number of migrants bused to other cities could be the result of a decrease in border crossings over the same period, thanks to stricter policies in Mexico.
Abbott continues to advocate for the program in an effort to boost his political profile, and at the National Rifle Association convention in Dallas, Abbott received enthusiastic support when discussing the continuation of the busing program.
“We are going to maintain this process until we get a new president next November who will secure the border of the United States of America,” Abbott said in New York.
Despite these statements, the program faces mounting legal obstacles as more Democratic cities decide to sue the state or the bus companies.
New York City announced new restrictions on bus companies transporting migrants and sued others for failing to comply. As a result, nine bus companies agreed to stop transporting migrants from Texas to New York.
“Texas has made a determination that it will weaponize the movement of people in order to change national policy,” Steven Banks, an attorney representing the New York Department of Social Services said.
Los Angeles City Council also began a plan to sue Texas for the busing program after Abbott sent buses with migrants to the city when it was preparing for Hurricane Hilary.
“Gov. Greg Abbott committed kidnapping, human trafficking or any other crimes when he sent vulnerable families on a 23-hour bus ride with little or no food or water,” Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez said in 2023.
Abbott announced the program in 2022, and since then 118,000 migrants have been bused to cities such as New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, Los Angeles, and Washigtnon, D.C.
