Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called the busing of migrants to Vice President Kamala Harris’ house in Washington D.C. a “sad and tragic day.”
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sent buses of migrants from border communities to the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., Harris’ official residence. Two busloads of illegal migrants first arrived at Harris’ home in September from Eagle Pass, Texas, followed by at least two more buses carrying over two dozens of migrants in October.
A group of 50 migrants arrived at Kamala Harris’ home Wednesday night, KHQA reported. Another bus of migrants from Texas arrived at the Naval Observatory Thursday morning under the authority of Abbott.
“It is a both sad and tragic day when a government official uses migrants as a pawn for political purposes,” Mayorkas said Thursday.
Abbott began busing migrants in April 2022 when the Trump-era immigration policy, Title 42, was initially set to expire. Title 42, a COVID-19 emergency protocol allowing for the expulsion of millions of migrants, is set to expire Thursday and its expiration is expected to create a massive surge in illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. (RELATED: Karine Jean-Pierre Calls Bussing Of Migrants To Liberal Cities ‘Shameful’ As Border Crisis Continues)
The Texas governor first dropped off 24 migrants in front of the NBC News and Fox News building in Washington, D.C on April 13, 2022. He proceeded to drop off 14 more migrants the following day and a third bus reportedly dropped off 30 migrants. As of September, nearly 9,400 migrants had been bussed to D.C. from Texas, according to the Washington Post.
In a letter to Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Abbott vowed to continue the “necessary” bussing procedure until President Joe Biden’s administration secures the border. Lightfoot pleaded with the Texas governor to stop bussing migrants to Chicago in a May 1 response letter.