Since November 16th, six buses of migrants have arrived in Philadelphia: the latest one arriving Wednesday, November 30th from Del Rio, Texas. In total around 200 people were transported from Texas and warmly welcomed by the city of Philadelphia.
Passengers origin from Central and South America, and have all been cleared by Customs and Border Control. Many are in the process of seeking asylum. Some are residing in a welcoming center the City founded, with access to medical assistance, shelter, food, water, and more; others have continued traveling to reunite with family. Questions of what this means politically in relation to Texas, how Philadelphia will continue supporting migrants, and the impact of these journeys and treatment on migrants have all been raised.
Texas has long held a large responsibility when it comes to border control and security. The current Republican governor, Gregory Abbott, is on a mission to crack down on immigration. Abbott has even “put $4 billion on the line to do so, initiating construction of a border wall”, and sent “thousands of National Guard service members and state police to patrol the border with Mexico for months on end in his highly touted Operation Lone Star”.
While the effectiveness of Operation Lone Star is up to debate, it is least to say that Abbott has a strict attitude when it comes to immigrants and migrants. He has sent migrants to Democrat-led states a multitude of times as a political act, in protest to President Biden’s immigration policies in the face of increasing migrant numbers.
A New York Times article by Claire Moses, from June of this year, investigates specifics of the situation around the border for migrants.
To relieve the migrant population pressure on Texas, sanctuary cities such as New York, Washington, Chicago, and D.C. have frequently taken in buses of migrants. Now, Philadelphia joins these cities as a designated sanctuary location for Texas’s busing system. According to Governor Abbott, “Philadelphia Mayor Jim Keeney has long-celebrated and fought for sanctuary city status, making the city an ideal addition to Texas’ list of drop-off locations”.
Yet Texas has reportedly not coordinated with Philadelphia about the buses Texas sent. According to CBS News, “the city of Philadelphia says Texas did not coordinate with the city despite a direct request from Philadelphia to do so”.
The first buses were “unscheduled” and “unannounced”: receiving much criticism from Democrats. In addition to aggravation about Texas’s cooperation, “Democratic officials have called the migrant buses a political stunt that dehumanizes asylum-seekers”. Democratic dissent regarding Texas’s busing system is not new.
Philadelphia Mayor Keeney voiced that “It is sad and outrageous that Governor Abbott and his administration continue to implement their cruel and racist policies using immigrant families — including children — as pawns to shamelessly push their warped political agenda”. Further, in a press briefing, Keeney stated that Abbott’s recent lack of coordination displays “blatant disregard for the sanctity of human lives”.
To contrast, Governor Abbott has said that the bus system provides “much-needed relief to Texas’ overwhelmed border communities”. In regards to Biden’s policymaking, Abbott announced that “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”.
The impact of, and the discourse sparked by, the recent journeys of migrants on these buses can be better analyzed parallel to the widespread movement of migrants by Republican governors. The September decision of Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis, for instance, to send 48 migrants on private planes to Martha’s Vineyard caused global notice. Under DeSantis’s orders, Venezuelan asylum seekers were taken Texas, brought to Florida, and then flown to the wealthy island of Martha’s Vineyard. The coerced passengers were given false information during the process, fake Massachusetts Welcomes You brochures and left to fend for themselves. The migrants are being rehoused on Cape Cod, and because they are possibly the victims of a crime on U.S. soil, they may gain citizenship.
According to the Washington Post, “GOP leaders say they are trying to send a pointed message about soaring border crossings that have strained their communities and that federal officials have failed to address.” This was “sharply condemned by human rights advocates and Democrats.”
