Third bus carrying illegal immigrants arrives in DC from Texas

A third busload of illegal immigrants arrived in Washington, DC from Texas on Friday morning after the head of US Customs and Border Protection spurred Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s move to send the newcomers to the nation’s capital.

Abbott’s office didn’t immediately confirm the number of migrants on the third bus, but Fox News reported that about 30 were on board.

The shipments have been arriving in DC at a rate of one per day since Wednesday. The first bus carried 24 illegal immigrants, while the second bus – which arrived on Thursday – carried only 14.

Abbott announced last week he would be sending busloads of immigrants to Washington in response to the Biden administration’s border policies, including the planned repeal of the Title 42 health protocol.

The migrants on the buses have been granted permission to remain in the US while their asylum claims go through the court system. They are legally resident in the country and permitted to travel while being monitored by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. You must be transported to Washington voluntarily.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management is tasked with busing the immigrants to DC. The agency has not released any information about future transports or how many migrants are expected to be on each bus, each of which has the capacity to carry up to 40 migrants.

“Governor Abbott is taking action to relocate migrants without adequate coordination with the federal government and local border communities. CBP has always worked closely with and supported frontier communities in Texas, many of which CBP employees call home,” Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a statement Thursday.

“We all have a common interest in safe, orderly and humane immigration processes, and government aid should be carefully coordinated with us.”

Abbott’s office did not have an immediate response.