Texas Drops Another Busload of Migrants at Kamala Harris’s D.C. Home

Texas delivered another busload of illegal immigrants to the home of Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, D.C. on Sunday.

Following a pause in the relocation program, Texas governor Greg Abbott resumed the drop-offs after Title 42 expired on Thursday. The Trump-era Covid-19 policy significantly curbed illegal immigration by allowing border personnel to expel illegal immigrants as a means to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Title 42’s end, which Republican lawmakers have warned would unleash a new flood of illegal immigration, was originally delayed a few times due to litigation.

The illegal immigrants dropped off on Mother’s Day at the Naval Observatory came from Del Rio in South Texas, a border town on the Rio Grande, ABC 7 reported.

Abbott and Florida governor Ron DeSantis have both shipped illegal immigrants to various progressive so-called sanctuary cities partially as a protest of the Biden administration’s extremely lax border enforcement policies, which they argue have fueled the ongoing crisis. On Christmas Eve in 2022, Abbott sent three buses of illegal immigrants carrying over 100 people to the vice president’s residence. In December, Abbott’s office said Texas had transported over 15,000 people since last April to Washington, New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, Politico noted.

A few weeks ago, D.C. hotels designated for housing migrants reached capacity, ABC 7 reported. In early May, immigration activists showed up to Washington, D.C. mayor Bowser’s office to urge her to expand shelter options for illegal immigrant arrivals, according to the outlet.

The influx of illegal immigrants has overwhelmed and strapped the city for resources, prompting Bowser in September to establish a new office of migrant services to accommodate those being bused in. Bowser declared a public emergency to support the project, which she said will help provide “reception, respite, meals, temporary accommodations, urgent medical needs, transportation to final destinations, connection to resettlement services, translation services, and other needs as they are determined.” The city government allocated $10 million to create the office, a press release said.

On May 3, the office told ABC 7 that it is currently housing approximately 1,249 people from 370 families in three hotels in the city. It will “continue to provide food, shelter, robust case management, school enrollments, medical care, and other services to those in our program,” a spokesperson said.