LOS ANGELES — Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott announced Wednesday that he sent the first group of migrants to downtown Los Angeles, the latest incident involving a GOP governor transporting asylum-seekers to a state led by Democrats.
Forty-two people, including children, were dropped off at Los Angeles Union Station around 4 p.m. and cared for by city agencies and charitable organizations, Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León’s office said, The Associated Press reported. Their country of origin wasn’t immediately known.
Abbott said the migrants were bused to Los Angeles Wednesday because California had declared itself a “sanctuary” for immigrants, extending protections to people living in the country illegally and allowing them to apply for some state benefits.
“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,” Abbott said in a statement. “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.”
Last year, Abbott announced he would send buses with migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas to major cities such as Washington, New York, and Chicago. Some other GOP governors, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey also sent some buses from the border to other cities.
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Los Angeles mayor: ‘This did not catch us off guard’
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who called the move a “despicable stunt,” said in a statement that city departments and advocacy groups were mobilized to accept migrants from Texas.
“This did not catch us off guard, nor will it intimidate us,” Bass added. “Los Angeles is not a city motivated by hate or fear and we absolutely will not be swayed or moved by petty politicians playing with human lives. We are a city that seeks to treat all people with dignity and compassion.”
The migrants were receiving help at St. Anthony’s Croatian Catholic Church near downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Fire Department said shortly after 5 p.m. that it received a “medical need” request for a number of people at the church. Those people’s medical condition was not immediately known.
Latest incident involving California city
Earlier this month, California authorities threatend legal action against DeSantis after accusing his administration of flying 16 migrants by private plane from New Mexico to Sacramento, California. DeSantis’ administration later said the transported individuals voluntarily agreed to be relocated to the state.
“This is Gov. DeSantis’ state of Florida, this is his cruel, inhumane political stunt,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in an interview with the ABC News station in Sacramento. “Manipulating human beings, people, for whatever cheap political points he wants to get in his run for presidency.”
Last fall, Florida flew dozens of migrants to the upscale Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard. Months later, three buses of recent migrant families arrived from Texas near the home of Vice President Kamala Harris in record-setting cold on Christmas Eve.
Contributing: Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY; Zac Anderson, Sarasota Herald-Tribune; The Associated Press
