First Busload Of Illegal Immigrants Arrives In Los Angeles From Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) announced on Wednesday that Texas has transported a group of illegal immigrants to Los Angeles for the first time, a move described as a “despicable stunt” by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass.

“Texas just dropped off the 1st bus of migrants in Los Angeles,” Abbott wrote on Twitter.

Around 40 illegal immigrants, including families with children, arrived in Los Angeles via bus on Wednesday afternoon around 4 p.m. They were provided care and support services at St. Anthony’s Croatian Catholic Church near downtown, according to officials and service providers.

In a statement, Abbott repeated his justification for the relocation, saying that Texas border towns are overwhelmed as thousands of individuals cross the U.S.-Mexico border under President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.

“Los Angeles is a major city that migrants seek to go to, particularly now that its city leaders approved its self-declared sanctuary city status,” Abbott said in a statement.

Under Abbott’s direction, the Texas Division of Emergency Management has transported over 21,600 illegal immigrants from border towns to Democrat-led sanctuary cities, including Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and most recently, Denver, since April 2022. The leaders of these cities, which have been unprepared for the arrivals, have criticized the strategy as "racist" and a "political stunt".

Since Biden assumed office, illegal immigration at the U.S.–Mexico border has surged. Florida has also witnessed arrivals by boat at its maritime border from countries like Haiti.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has argued that sanctuary jurisdictions like California share the blame for the illegal immigration crisis.