Local officials and immigrant-rights advocates were continuing work Thursday to assist 42 migrants who were bused from the Texas-Mexico border to Los Angeles by Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, who proclaimed his state’s border region “overrun” and hinted that more shipments of immigrants could follow.
In a Twitter post Thursday, Abbott proclaimed that the “first bus of migrants” from Texas had arrived in Los Angeles, with the migrants initially taken to Union Station downtown but then moved to a nearby church.
“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 said in a statement. “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 front lines 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.”
The immigrants were taken to St. Anthony’s Croatian Catholic Church in Chinatown, and Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded to ensure none of them had any medical issues. According to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the immigrants were on the bus for nearly 24 hours, with some saying they had not eaten or had anything to drink during the journey.
Representatives of the CHIRLA were among the organizations who met with the migrants Wednesday night to offer assistance, along with the nonprofit Haitian Bridge Alliance, which indicated that six of the migrants are of Haitian descent, including a family of three — two adult cousins and one adult.
“We coordinated with the city (of Los Angeles) and the mayor’s office to make sure these individuals were greeted with dignity and to make sure they received the assistance that they needed,” Daniel Tse, the group’s asylum task force coordinator, told CNN.
The Immigrant Defenders Law Center was also offering assistance.
“They’re coming with the hope that they can keep themselves and their children safe. And so instead of treating them as political props, here in Los Angeles, we will treat them with the dignity that they deserve as human beings,” Lindsay Toczylowski told reporters on Wednesday.
The Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley also greeted the migrants at Union Station and offered to help them.
“The state of Texas offered transportation to Los Angeles,” Sister Norma Pintel told CNN. “Through coordination, we made sure that the families wanting to go to Los Angeles would have someone that would meet them and provide a place to stay.”
The 42 migrants included an estimated 16 children, including some infants. Officials said the migrants came from countries including Guatemala, Honduras and Venezuela.
Most spent the night at the night at the church, although officials said some were picked up by relatives, and others were trying to make arrangements to travel to other cities.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement calling it “abhorrent that an American elected official is using human beings as pawns in his cheap political games.”
“Shortly after I took office, I directed city departments to begin planning in the event Los Angeles was on the receiving end of a despicable stunt that Republican governors have grown so fond of,” Bass said. “This did not catch us off guard, nor will it intimidate us. Now, it’s time to execute our plan. Our emergency management, police, fire and other departments were able to find out about the incoming arrival while the bus was on its way and were already mobilized along with nonprofit partners before the bus arrived.
“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. We are a city that seeks to treat all people with dignity and compassion and we will continue to work closely with nonprofit organizations, including the L.A. Welcomes Collective, as well as with our county, state and federal partners.
“For everything that we do, we will continue to lock arms and we will continue to lead. And we will always put people’s health and well being over politics.”
Earlier Wednesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office sent public records requests to the office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Division of Emergency Management seeking information about the recent transport of two groups of immigrants from Florida to northern California.
Bonta said his office is investigating whether any laws were broken by Florida in shipping the three dozen migrants to Sacramento. Gov. Gavin Newsom has suggested DeSantis could potentially face kidnapping charges for transporting the migrants to California, although Florida officials have insisted the migrants went to Florida voluntarily and signed documents agreeing to the travel.
Daniel Lopez, a deputy communications director for Newsom, said “Contrary to what some may want to think, California is also a border state but instead of demonizing asylum seekers, we focus on working with local communities to support and humanely welcome people.
“Regarding the recently arrived families, the state is in close communication with the county and city of Los Angeles, and our community partners. Together, we will make sure that the children and families who arrived are safe and welcomed.”
According to Abbott’s office, Texas has been charting buses to take migrants from Texas to locations including Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia, and most recently adding Denver to the list of destinations. Since beginning the busing effort last spring, more than 21,600 migrants have been shipped out of Texas to “these self-declared sanctuary cities,” according to Abbott’s office.
The Los Angeles City Council last week approved a motion directing various city departments to take the steps required for Los Angeles to officially become a sanctuary city for immigrants.
Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, one of the sponsors of that motion, blasted Abbott’s decision to stick the migrants on a bus as “despicable and disgusting,” accusing him of playing “petty political games with the lives of these vulnerable people.”
He said Los Angeles “doesn’t throw people away. We treat people with dignity and respect, regardless of where they come from.”