Texas sends migrants by bus to Los Angeles; LA mayor lashes out at measure

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A group of migrants who arrived by bus in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday were sent from Texas, in a move that the mayor of the Southern California city called a “reprehensible ruse” on the part of a republican governor.

A total of 42 people, including some children, were dropped off at Union Station around 4 p.m. and received care from city agencies and charitable organizations, the Los Angeles City Councilman’s office said. Kevin DeLeon.

“They left yesterday and spent 23 hours on the bus, and they didn’t have a chance to eat or drink water,” said Mario Cabrera of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, who spoke with several of the migrants.

“They are being fed; they are being transferred to shelters; they are talking to lawyers,” she commented. “These are migrants that the United States allowed into the country because they have credible fears. They still haven’t received asylum.”

Many of them come from Latin American countries like Honduras and Venezuela, and one person had an immigration appointment in New York, Cabrera added.

Mayor Karen Bass said she has directed city agencies to prepare to receive migrants from other states after Republican governors began sending asylum seekers to Democratic states in recent months.

“We were not caught off guard, nor will we be intimidated,” Bass said in a statement. “Los Angeles is not a city motivated by hate or fear, and we certainly will not be influenced or pushed by petty politicians who gamble with human lives.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the migrants were sent to Los Angeles because California has declared itself a “sanctuary” for immigrants, extending protections to people living in the country illegally and allowing them to apply for some state benefits.

“Our border communities are on the front lines of President (Joe) Biden’s border crisis, and Texas will continue to provide this much-needed respite until he steps up to do his job and secure the border,” Abbott said in a statement.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week flew a group of migrants from border states to Sacramento, California, at taxpayer expense. Towards the end of last year, Florida airlifted 49 Venezuelans to the luxurious island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

Migrants in Los Angeles received assistance at the San Antonio Croatian Catholic Church near downtown.

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Associated Press photographer Damian Dovarganes contributed to this report.