Greg Abbott: Texas governor sends thousands of immigrants to Washington and New York to pressure White House | International

After filling the streets of Washington with irregular immigrants, Texas’ governor, Republican Greg Abbott, turned the pressure on New YorkWhere did he send it last week? First charter bus for undocumented immigrants In the case of federal capital, a blow to democratic governance threatens to overwhelm social services. The Pentagon has refused to send members of the National Guard, a security force routinely deployed in emergencies, to look after the migrants as requested by officials in the District of Columbia.

The bus arrived in New York on Friday, carrying 54 people, including children, not since Abbott chartered the Big Apple, a city Mayor Eric Adams has promised to make a “sanctuary” and has argued he wants to make it. He is a participant in the migrant crisis that, in his opinion, the border state is experiencing. Although most migrants stayed en route, many were assured that the final destination was unknown upon arrival. In addition to the logistical problems of finding accommodation for newcomers in a network of “shelters already saturated by asylum seekers,” according to Adams, immigrants drag asylum or residency application files filed in the states they entered. country, so the resolution of their cases is now up in the air.

Abbott is not an unprecedented move, the spigot of migrant pressure at the borders (Ceuta and Melilla, the Greek islands of the Aegean, the border between Belarus and Lithuania or the Ventimiglia route between France and Italy, among others) that opens and closes. To the will of politicians and their interests. Abbott, who began the transition in early April, was clearly supported in May by his opponent from Arizona, Republican Doug Ducey: Show a strong hand against immigration In the midst of the primary process and in response to President Biden’s administration’s attempt to repeal so-called Title 42, a regulation authorized in the pandemic that provided for the evacuation of irregulars for health reasons and A judge halted it in May, sparking confusion at the border. Immigrant threats cover the tragic events of a bus ride in which a six-year-old diabetic had to be sent to a New York hospital to receive insulin. Or as a Venezuelan family of six adults and four children. Most of the 54 passengers were Latin American.

Not just Washington and New York goals Abbott’s policies make any Democratic East Coast city, theoretically more open to foreigners than Republican strongholds, a target. Force the Biden administration to take action on the border. Abbott’s press office confirmed that the bus that arrived Friday was “the first group of immigrants traveling from Texas to New York City.” But they weren’t the first. According to New York officials, about 4,000 asylum seekers have arrived in recent months. The difference is that the visit has not previously enjoyed the kind of media coverage that an announcement from Abbott’s office achieved last week. Teams from the Archdiocese of New York confirm that they have served more than a thousand foreigners in recent weeks, either arriving directly in the city or having previously been diverted through Washington. “They come because the ticket is free, because they believe that it is better to try their luck than to live permanently in a state they don’t like, and sometimes they have the support of informal networks of family or friends. They can help start a new life here” , deacon Joao Fess of the Manhattan parish, who cooperates in the reception. As for nationalities, he affirms, “everything from underprivileged Venezuelans to Guatemalans or Hondurans fleeing gangs.”

Abbott and Adams have been embroiled in a bitter dispute for weeks, with special resonance in social networks and the press. The bus left Eagle Pass two days after Adams announced emergency measures to rapidly increase shelter capacity. It’s not free notice, by any means: Last month, families in the Bronx violated a right-to-housing law by not providing shelter to people who applied to enter the shelter. city ​​is deficient). In his defense, Adams blamed asylum seekers sent from Texas and Arizona, and Abbott found time to fight back.

As with Washington, Abbott said in a statement this weekend, “New York is a great place for these immigrants, who can access an abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has bragged about right here in the city.” – Accommodation. I hope he keeps his promise to welcome all immigrants with open arms. Adams on Monday called Abbott “inhumane, vile and cruel” and vowed that “for every asylum seeker who comes to New York, we will provide them with the shelter and support they need.” 14 more arrived in Manhattan today.

Both Adams and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser say their cities are being overwhelmed by the influx of asylum seekers when the homeless shelter and housing system is already at capacity. New York had 50,000 occupied spaces last week, up from 46,000 in mid-May, though the department responsible declined to detail how many of the immigrants who arrived in recent months have entered the system. A network of old hotels that New York activated during the pandemic as a temporary shelter solution for the homeless is one of the options for hosting the most urgent cases, such as families with minors. Adams and Bowser have asked the federal government for help, and a meeting of New York’s representatives in Congress on the crisis is scheduled for Monday.

Adams in particular was not immune to criticism of the Washington executive’s lack of cooperation. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday pointed to the immigration crisis, downplaying the mayor’s complaints that the White House, a Democrat, is not doing enough. Jean-Pierre noted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is assisting. “It’s up to Governor Abbott. This is what he’s doing,” the speaker concluded.

Washington, one of the cities that concentrates the bulk of Salvadoran immigration, receives most of the buses departing from Texas and Arizona, among other sending countries. For both cities, in full FerragostoWith warnings of extreme heat and a tough economic climate, food banks are feeling the brunt of inflation, and the challenge of welcoming thousands of people exhausted after trips on several occasions over the past months is huge.

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