The Biden administration is sending federal money to cities on the southern border looking to copy Texas and Arizona’s migrant busing operations, covering the costs of transporting migrants to sanctuary cities, according to city leaders.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is reimbursing the city of El Paso, Texas, and nonprofit organizations for costs related to dispatching two buses of Venezuelan migrants to New York City over the past week, and more buses are likely to follow. The city has not revealed how much it has spent or plans to spend going forward.
To date, the El Paso City-County Office of Emergency Management has arranged travel for migrants who were discharged from federal immigration custody.
“OEM has sponsored and provided transportation services for migrants out of El Paso, which is reimbursable through FEMA,” Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino told a local news outlet. “OEM has sponsored charter buses to include a recent transport to New York City, this was the preferred destination for those without any means to travel.”
FIRE DEPARTMENT IN TEXAS BORDER COUNTY RECOVERING BODIES OF MIGRANTS EVERY DAY
El Paso’s decision is significant, given that its mayor, Oscar Leeser, is a Democrat, and its congresswoman, Rep. Veronica Escobar, is a progressive Democrat who was a vocal opponent of Trump-era border policies.
The busing operation follows the example of Republican-governed states that chose to pay for migrants to be moved out of their towns in an effort to alleviate pressure on local resources. Democrats in New York City and Washington, D.C., have slammed the state busing operations but have yet to weigh in on the El Paso buses.
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On Monday, state military forces arrived in El Paso to assist the local city government and nonprofits working with migrants, according to El Paso Matters.
