Abbott expands migrant busing to Philadelphia

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced on Tuesday that a bus of migrants from his state is headed for Philadelphia, becoming the fourth drop-off city that Abbott has sent migrants to in protest of Democrats’ immigration policies.

Abbott began busing migrants to Democratic-run cities located further north in April, starting with Washington, D.C., before later expanding to Chicago and New York City in August.

“Since April, Texas’ busing strategy has successfully provided much-needed relief to our border communities overwhelmed by the historic influx of migrants caused by President Biden’s reckless open border policies,” Abbott said in a statement. 

“Until the Biden Administration does its job and provides Texans and the American people with sustainable border security, Texas will continue doing more than any other state in the nation’s history to defend against an invasion along the border, including adding more sanctuary cities like Philadelphia as drop-off locations for our busing strategy,” he added.

Abbott and two other GOP governors — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey — have transported migrants across state lines in recent months as the number of migrants encountered at the border surged to record levels.

Ducey has also bused migrants to D.C., while DeSantis’s office in September chartered two flights for migrants that took them from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., an island known for its many wealthy residents.

The programs have drawn fury from Democrats, who argue the relocations unfairly treat the migrants as political pawns.

Abbott indicated the bus headed for Philadelphia will drop off the migrants on Wednesday morning at William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, the city’s major train station that services Amtrak. The station is located across the Schuylkill River from downtown areas of the city.

The Texas Republican called out Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D) in the announcement, saying he has celebrated Philadelphia having “sanctuary city status” for migrants.

Kenney’s office said in a statement that it had heard about the plans last week while indicating that Texas officials have not coordinated with the city. 

The statement suggests the final destination for many of the migrants is elsewhere, but about 30 people are aboard the bus and city agencies are preparing to provide them with support upon arrival.

“It is truly disgusting to hear today that Governor Abbott and his Administration continue to implement their purposefully cruel policy using immigrant families—including women and children—as pawns to shamelessly push his warped political agenda,” Kenney said. “Sadly, racism and human cruelty have historically been intertwined in how immigrants are received by and within this country, something the previous presidential administration openly and actively encouraged.”

Abbott made immigration a key issue in his reelection campaign, which he handily won against Democrat Beto O’Rourke by about 11 points.

Earlier on Tuesday, Abbott declared that an “invasion” was occurring in his state, moving to invoke invasion clauses of the U.S. and Texas constitutions to allow him to boost border security, including deploying the National Guard.

—Updated at 9:53 p.m.