Durbin calls GOP governors ‘pathetic’ over migrant busing

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Sunday called GOP governors busing and flying migrants to Democratic-led cities outside of their states “pathetic.”

“It is pathetic that these governors are taking advantage of these helpless people, making promises to them to get on the bus and life is just gonna be fine,” Durbin told moderator Chuck Todd during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday sent two planes of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, an island in Massachusetts known for its popularity among the wealthy.

The flights come as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) continue busing thousands of migrants away from border towns to northern U.S. cities, fueling fury among Democrats.

“Why is it when the Republicans want to enforce their immigration theories, it’s always the kids that end up being the victims,” Durbin said on NBC. 

“We saw it with kids in cages, we saw it with the forcible removal of children from their parents — some who have never been reunited with their families — and now once again it’s the kids and families who are put on these buses and transported for political purposes across the United States,” he continued.

Ducey and Abbott have both sent migrants to Washington, D.C., and Abbott has also sent migrants to New York City and Chicago. Durbin said he met with some of the migrants sent to Chicago at a Salvation Army facility.

The Republican governors have defended the relocations as aiding border communities overwhelmed by President Biden’s immigration policies, hoping the move will lead Washington to adopt stricter border control measures.

It’s unclear whether the migrants are undocumented or whether they are asylum-seekers allowed into the country to wait out their immigration court cases, or a combination of both.

Durbin on Sunday appeared to acknowledge concerns among activists that relocated migrants with upcoming immigration hearings could now miss their court appearances. 

The governors have often transported the migrants for thousands of miles. Those who landed on Martha’s Vineyard last week boarded two planes that originated from San Antonio, local officials said.

“Off they go to places far removed from where they’re supposed to be appearing under the requirements of our law in a matter of weeks and months,” said Durbin on NBC. “So he’s jeopardizing their stay in the United States when each governor makes this decision.”