Texas House Democrat on migrant busing: ‘We need solutions and not theater’

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) said on Sunday that lawmakers need to find “solutions” to the ongoing migrant crises instead of turning the situation into “theater.” 

“Look, you know, first of all, we need solutions and not theater. By sending off— folks off to New York and Chicago, it does bring attention, but I— we want to focus more on solutions on the border,” Cuellar told CBS “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan, noting that the Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security need better tools to enforce the law at the southern border. 

Cuellar also noted the migrant struggles in his hometown of Laredo. 

“And let me mention one more thing, Margaret, you know, they might get two buses a day in some of those cities,” Cuellar said. “Just for my hometown in Laredo, we’re sending out 21 to 26 buses a day out of Laredo, just to give you an idea of what’s happening here.” 

When Brennan asked about areas such as Martha’s Vineyard struggling to respond to the influx of migrants, Cuellar replied that migrants need to be treated as “human beings” instead of “political pawns.” 

“Yeah, look, after all, the migrants are human beings, and we’ve got to treat them like human beings that are being used as political pawns to get publicity,” Cuellar said. “But at the same time, you know, I represent some of the poorest counties along the border in the nation.” 

Cuellar’s remarks as GOP Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida sent buses and planes filled with migrants to Martha’s Vineyard and the residence of Vice President Harris last week.

DeSantis and Abbott, along with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) have been sending migrants to Democratic-run cities, such as New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago throughout the summer in protest of Biden’s efforts to end Title 42,  a Trump-era policy that blocked migrants from seeking asylum during the pandemic.