Report: Texas has spent over $12 million to bus migrants to NY and DC

The Texas Division of Emergency Management confirmed to Axios that Texas has spent in excess of $12 million to bus migrants from Texas to New York and Washington, D.C.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management said in their statement that it “has paid over $12 million transporting migrants processed and released by the federal government in Texas border communities.”

Specifically, Texas paid $12,707,720.92 to Wynne Transportation to help charter buses of migrants to the two East Coast cities, according to CNN, who was able to obtain a spreadsheet containing Texas’ financial information using a Freedom of Information Act request.

Texas has been sending thousands of migrants on buses to these two cities, and New York and D.C. officials in both cities said earlier this month they were overwhelmed by the small number. Washington DC went so far as to request assistance from the Pengagon.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said the move was a protest against President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. “Because (President) Joe Biden is not securing the border, the state of Texas is having to step up and spend Texas taxpayers’ money doing the federal government’s job,” Abbott said at the time.

Abbott has also issued a press release saying that migrants are not put on buses until they have provided written consent. The press release did not detail which other options were available to migrants.

While he has received a lot of criticism for his move to bus migrants to Washington and New York, Sen. Ted Cruz (R) said it is the right thing to do for Texas. “Six thousand illegal immigrants we have bussed to Washington DC and the Democratic mayor there said it’s a humanitarian crisis. The Democratic mayor of New York City has likewise said it is a humanitarian crisis. I agree. Texas is bearing a far bigger portion of that burden,” Cruz said.

Others, however, believe Abbott’s protest is accomplishing nothing. Associate Professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center Daniel Morales said the whole practice was a big publicity stunt.

“The same logic occurred when he (Abbott) sent the National Guard to the border. There is no need for these exercises. They don’t help immigrants. They don’t help the state. But they do get Greg Abbott some time on Fox News and that is what he wants,” Morales said.

Abbott has only doubled down on busing migrants out-of-state. He recently said on Twitter that the first bus of migrants had arrived in Chicago. “First Texas bus of migrants has arrived in Chicago. Biden’s inaction at our border puts Texans at risk & is overwhelming our communities. We’ll continue bussing migrants to sanctuary cities like NYC, DC, & now Chicago until the federal gov’t does its job & secures the border,” Abbott wrote.