LOS ANGELES, June 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A group of migrants were bused from Texas to Los Angeles and dropped off at downtown’s Union Station, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who cited L.A.’s “self-declared sanctuary city status.”
The group consists of about 42 people, including young children, who are mainly from Venezuela, Honduras and Guatemala.
Some of the children could be as young as 2 years old, sources said.
“Texas’ small border towns remain overwhelmed and overrun by the thousands of people illegally crossing into Texas from Mexico because of President Biden’s refusal to secure the border,” read a statement released by Abbott.
“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. Our border communities are on the frontlines of President Biden’s border crisis, and Texas will continue providing this much-needed relief until he steps up to do his job and secure the border.”
The group was moved to a nearby church Wednesday evening where groups like the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, also known as CHIRLA, were sent to provide support.
The organization said it received a tip about the group’s arrival Tuesday night but have been prepared for months.
“We cannot control what Governor Abbott does in Texas, how he decides to treat human beings, but here in the city of Los Angeles, with our county of Los Angeles partners and the entirety of the immigrant rights infrastructure, we have a different choice to make,” said CHIRLA’s Executive Director Angelica Salas. “Our choice is to receive individuals with humanity, with dignity, and to provide them with the information that they need in order to begin their new life in this country.”
Other organizations assisting the group include the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
The migrants have been given food and have been speaking with immigration attorneys, according to Jorge-Mario Cabrera with CHIRLA. He said it’s unclear if the group knew where they were going and believes they were on bus for 23 hours without food or drinks.
In April 2022, Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to send migrants from Texas to Washington, D.C.
The governor added New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia as additional drop-off locations last year and most recently added Denver as a busing destination last month.
The moves serve as a way to protest what he calls “Biden’s open-border policies.”
Since beginning Abbott’s migrant busing strategy last spring, his office said more than 21,600 migrants have been transported to those cities. — NNN-AGENCIES
