Migrant buses to New York
White House condemns Texas governor’s maneuvers
08/09/2022, 00:20 am
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The Republican governor of Texas is sending buses full of migrants to New York and Washington to stir up sentiment against the Democratic government’s immigration policies. Now the White House is speaking up.
In the dispute over US refugee policy, the White House has sharply criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The conservative Republican had sent dozens of migrants by bus to the liberal strongholds of New York and Washington to, in his own words, protest against the US government’s “open borders policy”. President Joe Biden’s spokeswoman reacted angrily: “He uses politics to gain personal advantage and sends these desperate migrants here,” said Karine Jean-Pierre.
There is a statutory process for the distribution of migrants coming across the southern US border, Jean-Pierre said. But Abbott decided to make political capital out of the situation. New York Mayor Eric Adams was also harsh on Abbott: “It’s unimaginable what the governor of Texas has done when you think of this country – a country that has always been open to those who fear persecution and other inappropriate, intolerable… flee conditions.” Adams stressed that New York will take people in and take care of them.
The number of illegal border crossings from Mexico to the United States has been at a very high level in recent months. Abbott, who is on the election campaign, blames Biden’s migration policies. He has since sent thousands of refugees to New York and Washington, which he described as “ideal destinations for these migrants.” The Republican is up against Democrat Beto O’Rourke for governor in November. O’Rourke is well behind Abbott in conservative Texas, but has recently caught up in the polls.
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