Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Wednesday that his state has sent a bus of migrants to Los Angeles, the latest move in an effort to protest border policies by sending migrants to so-called sanctuary cities led by Democrats.
“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’s office said in a Wednesday release.
“Los Angeles is a major city that migrants seek to go to, particularly now that its city leaders approved its self-declared sanctuary city status. 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,” he added.
The migrants were dropped off at L.A. Union Station, the governor’s office said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) confirmed in a Twitter post that more than 40 people had been sent by the Texas governor to the city. She said “this did not catch us off guard” and that Los Angeles is “now executing our plan.”
“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,” Bass said.
The Texas governor has been part of an effort by Republican governors to send thousands of migrants north to Democrat-led cities in protest of Biden administration border policies.
The Wednesday release said that Texas has sent more than 21,600 migrants to “sanctuary” cities — including New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Denver — since the migrant busing started last spring.
Abbott has also asked his fellow governors for help with border security, citing the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), an interstate mutual aid agreement.
Last month, he briefed a group of governors on what the Texas office called “the ongoing crisis” at the U.S.-Mexico border. Florida and Nebraska have since moved to send aid.
The Republican governors’ efforts have faced significant criticism. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last month that “it is a both sad and tragic day when a government official uses migrants as a pawn for political purposes” after Abbott sent more migrants to D.C.
Updated at 10:49 p.m. EDT.