Staying true to his word, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is following through on his plan to send illegal immigrants apprehended in his state to the nation's capital where an influx of unlawful border crossers can't be as easily ignored by the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress.
"To help local officials whose communities are being overwhelmed by hordes of illegal immigrants who are being dropped off by the Biden administration, Texas is providing charter buses to send these illegal immigrants who have been dropped off by the Biden administration to Washington D.C.," Abbott said of his plan to transport illegal immigrants to the nation's capital.
Sure enough, just after 8:00am on Wednesday, the first bus from Texas arrived in Washington between the U.S. Capitol and Union Station transit hub. As cameras for Fox News captured, the door swung open and 23 illegal immigrants began exiting, some with backpacks and all carrying manila envelopes. After they appeared to have wristbands scanned and then cut off their arms, the individuals were free to walk off into the D.C. morning.
The first bus of illegal immigrants from Texas arrived near Union Station on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. this morning — 23 migrants were on board for the 1700+ mile drive from Del Rio. pic.twitter.com/l8AjGf1hpd
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) April 13, 2022
According to Lucas Tomlinson, the bus originated in Del Rio, Texas, where Julio has reported on the influx of illegal immigrants since Biden took office in 2021. The buses and drivers were contracted by Texas officials, according to Tomlinson's on-air reporting, and they drove straight through from Texas to Washington, a 1700+ mile journey that takes more than 25 hours to complete.
As Katie reported last week, the Biden administration did not take Gov. Abbott seriously when he announced his plan to send some of the illegal immigrants flooding his state to D.C. and now it seems Abbott has called the White House's bluff.
"I'm not aware of what authority the governor would be doing that under I think it's pretty clear this is a publicity stunt," Psaki said. "I know that the governor of Texas or any state does not have the legal authority to get on a bus," she added scoffingly.
Doocy: “The Texas Governor is saying that he’s going to start bussing border crossers to Washington DC, when they get here are you guys going to help them find a place to stay?”
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 7, 2022
Psaki: "The governor of Texas...does not have the legal authority to compel anyone to get on a bus." pic.twitter.com/9vdQezPiel
As Katie pointed out, Abbott's now in-progress plan to send illegal immigrants to D.C. is little different from the Biden administration's flights of illegal immigrants around the country under the cover of nightfall. And while "Biden officials are perfectly fine with sending them to your neighborhood, but loudly object when sent to theirs."
More buses and some flights to D.C. are also planned by Abbott in the days ahead as officials in Texas and other border states brace for an even larger surge of illegal immigrants when the Biden administration allows Title 42 to expire next month.