Learning from Greg Abbott’s socialist approach to immigration

April 6, 2024, marks the second anniversary of Gov. Greg Abbott’s order directing the Texas Division of Emergency Management to begin bussing paroled asylum seekers in the state to Washington, D.C. This was the opening salvo in his bussing program, a central component of Operation Lone Star — a multi-pronged strategy of mobilizing Texas’s government resources to both deter immigrants from entering the state and push out immigrants already there.

Abbott subsequently expanded the bussing program to include five other “sanctuary cites.” To date, Texas has transported more than 100,000 asylum seekers to D.C., New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles. The policy has been criticized for its manipulative strategies, negligent conditions and dangerous disregard of inclement weather. Despite its disastrous track record, Abbott’s bussing policy proved popular among Republican governors and led to copycat policies in Arizona and Florida.

While Operation Lone Star has failed to deter border crossings, Abbott’s busing program is a proof of concept for a publicly funded, socialized immigrant relocation program. At its heart, Operation Lone Star is a socialist program in that it seeks to redistribute the burdens (and benefits) that immigrants present. 

Abbott’s migrant bussing program offers these individuals a government-funded bus ticket to select destinations. The federal government should organize an alternative, expanded version of this policy. While Abbott has weaponized these asylum seekers’ desperation by sending them to select political rivals, a federal program for relocating and integrating paroled asylum seekers would address the needs of both sending and receiving communities.   

Abbott’s state government funded approach to immigration policy stands in contrast to the generally hands off approach of the federal government. Once an individual passes an initial screening interview to test their eligibility for asylum, they are allowed to physically enter the country. These asylum seekers are subject to constant federal surveillance during the pendency of their cases, but do not receive any logistical or transportation support from the federal government.

Asylum seekers must make their own travel arrangements if they want to reunite with family members or seek residence outside of Texas. This leaves many asylum seekers stranded, homeless and desperate. Rather than abandon these individuals to the temptation of weaponized state programs, the federal government should create a national bussing and support program to ease border states’ burdens and link migrants with welcoming communities prepared to receive them.

Unlike Texas’s unilateral approach, the federal government is ideally situated to coordinate state, local and nonprofit efforts to support and transport immigrants as soon as they arrive at their desired location. Such an approach would afford asylum seekers the agency to find their way to their ultimate destination and facilitate family reunification in localities where migrants will have a ready support network.

For individuals with no pre-established relationships, such a program could connect asylum seekers with cities actively recruiting new residents to address local needs. It could also be linked with CBP One to further incentivize would-be asylum seekers to present themselves at ports of entry by providing them with transportation assistance if they are asylum eligible. Such a policy would allow for informed consent, better integration, family reunification and the preservation of migrants’ basic human dignity.

The federal government is also far better equipped to manage the costs associated with such a program. At a cost $148 million, or roughly $1,451 per individual, Abbott’s bussing program has been staggeringly expensive for Texas. This amount, however, is less than half of what the Department of Homeland Security’s budgeted $363 million solely for its Alternatives to Detention program. Achieving no cost cutting, the federal government could fold this entire program into a by-line of the Department of Homeland Security’s budget while simultaneously creating a more efficient apparatus for monitoring and relocating pending asylum cases.

This proposal is not novel; the Biden administration has considered such a policy in the past but has taken no meaningful steps to implement it. The federal government’s inaction in this area is a notable contrast with the coordination function it performs when resettling refugees, a similar category of immigrants. Over the past decade, the federal government has relocated refugees in all 50 states. While not all asylum seekers will win their case and be allowed to remain in the United States, those that do would be well served by a policy that welcomes and supports them as they integrate into the American fabric.

Anniversaries offer a time for reflection. As we approach the second anniversary of Abbott’s busing program, it is worth adopting a federal policy that incorporates the benefits of Abbott’s socialist vision, while abandoning its shortcomings. Such a federal policy would present a more humane, coordinated response that better aligns with American values and recognizes the government’s duty to protect immigrants from unscrupulous programs.

This modest proposal is not intended to address the systemic issues plaguing U.S. Immigration laws; however, a truly just immigration system must couple compassionate policies with sensible enforcement measures. Abbott’s bussing program provides neither, but done properly, it could.

Juan P. Caballero directs the University of Florida’s Immigration Law Clinic.