Abbott says Texas will bus migrants to DC after Biden lifts Title 42

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced on Wednesday that the state will send migrants who illegally cross the border to Washington, D.C., in response to the Biden administration lifting Title 42. 

Title 42 is a public health measure that can de deployed to block asylum claims or expel migrants due to contagion risk. The policy was implemented during the Trump presidency due to the coronavirus pandemic and continued when President Biden took office, with the Biden administration recently announcing that it will be lifted next month.

Abbott said Texas will implement multiple measures to deter border crossing in response, with the governor warning numbers at the border would increase sharply.

One of the ways Abbott says he plans to remove migrants from Texas is by sending them to the nation’s Capital.

“To help local officials whose communities are being overwhelmed by hordes of illegal immigrants who are being dropped off by the Biden administration, Texas is providing charter buses to send these illegal immigrants who have been dropped off by the Biden administration to Washington, D.C.,” Abbott said.

Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd will be in charge of the program.

Kidd said at the press conference that his agency will begin the plans laid out by the governor on Thursday and “will use as many buses as we need to follow the governor’s direction to get this done.”

Kidd said the department used 900 buses for operations in the past, while Abbott repeated that the first bus would go to Washington, D.C. 

Other measures Abbott announced on Wednesday include “enhanced safety inspection of vehicles” coming over the border to combat cartels, illegal drugs and smuggling.

Texas will also implement boat blockades in the Rio Grande river, install razor wire at areas of the river frequently crossed by migrants and lights at the borders in areas known for smuggling, and the National Guard will “begin the first phase of mass migration rehearsals,” Abbott said. 

Since Biden took office, Title 42 has been used 1.7 million times to expel migrants, including some repeat crossers. 

Republicans have opposed the lifting of Title 42, echoing Abbott’s concern that the border will be flooded with migrants.

However, many Democrats celebrated the decision, with some in the party saying it should have been done sooner.