Texas politics: Gov. Greg Abbott says state will send migrants to Washington, DC on charter buses

“To help local officials whose communities are being overwhelmed by hordes of illegal immigrants deposed by the Biden administration, Texas is providing charter buses to ship these illegal immigrants deposed by the Biden administration to Washington DC.” said Abbott called. “We’re sending them to the United States Capitol, where the Biden administration will be able to more directly address the needs of the people they allow to come across our border.”

Abbott said the first drop-off point for the buses will be on the steps of the US Capitol.

Texas Division of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said the state will have over 900 buses for the operation.

Abbott’s announcement comes in response to the government’s decision last month to reverse a pandemic-era emergency health regulation known as Title 42, which allowed immigration authorities to turn migrants away at the border, even asylum-seekers. This order, issued during the administration of former President Donald Trump, has allowed immigration authorities to manage the sometimes overwhelming number of migrants attempting to enter the country.

Without them, federal officials say, they expect to draw thousands more migrants to the southwestern border each day, adding to the already large numbers of people trying to enter from Latin America and elsewhere around the world.

Amid a re-election campaign, Republican Abbott has made border security his top priority. Last March, he announced he would be sending National Guard troops and Department of Public Safety soldiers to the border to curb illegal immigration into the state, in what has been dubbed Operation Lone Star.

This story is evolving and updated.

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