Three buses carrying migrants from Texas arrived in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, marking the 17th, 18th, and 19th arrivals since June.
“Governor Greg Abbott continues to jeopardize vulnerable lives by providing limited food and water on multi-day bus journeys to Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a statement. “The city has been working with appropriate departments, the county, a coalition of nonprofit organizations, and our faith partners to execute a plan established earlier this year. We must come together as a region to address this in collaboration with the state and federal government, and I am confident we will.”
On X, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights confirmed the arrival of three buses with a total of 109 asylum seekers from Texas. The buses were sent from Brownsville and Del Rio, Texas, and the group of migrants consists of individuals from Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela.
While the collective expected 109 migrants to arrive, they only assisted 65, as some of the migrants may have been picked up by family members or sponsors, or left immediately upon arrival at Union Station.
Of the 65 migrants, 16 were children and there were 35 family units. Additionally, 36 were female and 29 were male.
According to CHIRLA, a member of the L.A. Welcomes Collective, a network of nonprofit organizations, faith groups, and city and county services, one-third of all migrants arriving in Los Angeles by bus have been children.
“When migrants arrive in California — more than 434,000 have arrived since 2019 — we receive them, integrate them into society, and they in turn contribute positively to our way of life. The Golden State is an immigrant state, and that will not change,” wrote CHIRLA on X.
The Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice, another member of the collective, learned of two of Friday’s buses early in the morning. The lack of information resulted in stretching their resources for greeting people with dignity and respect, helping them reunite with family, and connecting with sponsors, according to CLUE Justice.
“It is abhorrent and cruel of Gov. Abbott to send human beings who are tired, hungry, and yearning for a safe haven on a 30-hour bus ride without regard for their care, journey, or destination,” wrote CHIRLA on X. “It is clear he is trying to disrupt our efforts, but we will persevere.”
Jorge-Mario Cabrera, director of communications for CHIRLA, told City News Service that since June, one-third (35%) of migrants arriving on buses from Texas are children, which is one of many reasons the collective condemns Abbott’s actions.
Cabrera also noted that some migrants have stated that L.A. was not their intended destination and they were simply instructed to board the bus. Many of them had not eaten in three days, he added.
The collective usually receives tips hours in advance about the arrival of a bus. The route of buses from Brownsville can be predicted more easily, but when they are sent from different cities like Del Rio, it becomes difficult to anticipate their arrival time.
Despite hearing about Friday’s buses somewhat late, the collective immediately took action, conducting a rapid response to meet the migrants at the bus station and bring them to the receiving site at St. Anthony’s Croatian Catholic Church in downtown Los Angeles.
The migrants received a medical check-up, and no one needed serious medical attention. Many of them were anxious, hungry, and exhausted, yet still looking forward to continuing their journey and proving their asylum claims.
Cabrera emphasized that the collective will continue to support the migrants with their basic needs until they are met by their family or sponsors.
Cabrera expressed hope that the buses will eventually slow down and stop completely because Gov. Abbott is using migrants as political pawns without considering their health. However, he recognizes that this is unlikely as the political season progresses.
Texas Gov. Abbott has been organizing these trips under Operation Lone Star, stating that Texas’ border region is overwhelmed by immigrants crossing the Mexican border. OLS is a joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department along the southern border between Texas and Mexico.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Abbott said, “What we’ve seen is when Democrats have to face up to the reality of what Texas has to deal with every single day, they adopt the same approach that Texas has.”
“We need the president to start enforcing the immigration laws of the United States of America, period,” he added.
Mayor Bass has complained about Abbott’s office not sharing enough information with Los Angeles regarding these shipments. She stated that if Abbott’s concerns and actions were genuine, someone in the Texas government would notify and coordinate with them.
“We hear about the buses headed our way when they’re already on the way. We have no idea who will be on the bus, how many people there will be, or what condition they will be in when they arrive,” she said. “Sometimes they haven’t had any food and barely enough water.”
The Los Angeles City Council approved a motion on June 9 to formally establish the city as a sanctuary city.
Last month, the council approved a motion calling for the City Attorney’s Office to investigate whether crimes were committed on or before June 14, when Abbott sent 42 migrants to Los Angeles in the first shipment.
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