Subscribe to The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to date on the most important Texas news. Texas has spent more than $12 million sending busloads of migrants to East Coast cities, according to the Texas Department of Emergency Management. Documents from the emergency management department show the state has paid a total of $12,707,720.92 to Wynne Transportation to bus thousands of immigrants from Texas border communities to Washington, D.C. and New York City, it first reported CNN. A department spokesman confirmed the total to The Texas Tribune on Wednesday. The program to send migrants to the East Coast is part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s multibillion-dollar effort to curb border crossings. As a way to challenge President Joe Biden on his border policies, Abbott began sending voluntary migrants on the rides to Washington in April. The move drew mixed reviews across the state and prompted Washington officials to scramble to accommodate an influx of asylum seekers. Abbott expanded the program in August, sending migrants to New York, a move that Mayor Eric Adams called “inhumane.” In all, more than 7,400 immigrants have been bused to the nation’s capital and more than 1,500 have been sent to New York, according to the governor’s office. “President Biden’s reckless open border policies have created an ongoing crisis,” Abbott spokeswoman Renee Eze said in a statement Wednesday. “Until President Biden and Congress do their job and secure our southern border, Texas will continue to use every strategy to address this border crisis and protect Texans.” The last buses this week arrived in New York, where officials said the city would continue to shelter asylum seekers. New York is required by law to provide same-day housing for any adult who requests it, regardless of immigration status. The city has contracted with emergency hotels and also relies on volunteer groups to help provide clothing, food and shelter to the new arrivals. New York City officials continued to call Abbott as five more buses arrived at the Port Authority Bus Terminal this week. “Governor Abbott has crossed the line by using innocent human beings for his political purposes,” New York Immigration Commissioner Manuel Castro tweeted on Wednesday. Castro also said the tactic “incites hatred against immigrants and Latinos.” Meanwhile, Abbott publicly blasted Adams for calling New York a sanctuary city while complaining about new arrivals. The full schedule is now LIVE for the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival, September 22-24 in Austin. Explore the schedule of 100+ mind-expanding conversations coming to TribFest, including the inside track on the 2022 election and 2023 legislative session, the state of the public and higher ed during this pandemic, why the suburbs of Texas are booming, why broadband access matters, the legacy of slavery, what really happened in Uvalde and more. See the program. This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom that informs and engages Texans about state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
