Tensions escalate after Gov. Abbott sends migrants to Vice President Harris' house by bus
WASHINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) — The controversy over Governor Greg Abbott's decision to bus migrants to other parts of the country intensified Thursday.
Around 6 a.m., two buses from Texas dropped off more than 100 people from Venezuela, Cuba, and other countries outside the U.S. Naval Observatory, home of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Mathew Berwick of the Venezuelan Greeting Organization D.C. spoke with a woman who was on the bus with her husband. "They are improvising somehow, and the bus let them here and they have an idea of some place but don't remember this moment the name."
Governor Abbott said he sent the buses to the Vice President's home after she said in Houston last week the border was secure.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration has a process in place to manage migrants. "Republican Governors interfering in that process and using migrants as political pawns is shameful."
Senator John Cornyn praised Governor Abbott's decision. "Terrific idea. I don't know how else to get President Biden and Kamala Harris' attention to the broken borders that we have in Texas and all across the U.S.-Mexico border."
The President of the Latino Civil Rights Group, LULAC, Domingo Garcia of Dallas announced outside the Vice President's home that they're launching a "Stop The Buses" Task Force to keep them from leaving South Texas.
He said they plan to stand in front of the buses in an act of civil disobedience.
Garcia accused the Governor of treating the migrants as political pinatas. "They were just literally dumped like human garbage in front of the Vice President's house. That's Un-Christian, Un-Texan, Un-American and something that should not be allowed. Shame on you, Governor Abbott."
Governor Abbott's Press Secretary Renae Eze said in a statement, "These migrants willingly chose to go to Washington, D.C., having signed a voluntary consent waiver available in multiple languages upon boarding that they agreed on the destination. Each bus is stocked with food and water and makes stops along the trip to refuel and switch drivers. Migrants are allowed to purchase any needed provisions or disembark at any of these stops, as they have been processed and released by the federal government."
In Houston last week, the Vice President criticized the Governor in an interview with KTRK. "People have to stop playing politics with this issue. And I speak in particular with folks in Texas and The Governor, who has clearly made the decision to play games with this issue."
A new UT/Texas Politics Project poll shows 52% of those surveyed strongly support or somewhat support the state paying to bus migrants to other cities.
The poll shows 35% strongly oppose or somewhat oppose.
The Governor has campaigned on this issue, saying if President Biden won't go to the border, he'll take the border to the President.
Before hundreds of Republicans in Fairview recently, Abbott said, "We're not done yet. There are more cities on our list. We will keep those buses going."
To date, the Governor's office says more than ten thousand migrants have been bussed from Texas to other cities, which also include New York and Chicago.