The initiative, dubbed “Air Texas,” takes a cue from a similar program implemented by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, known as “Air DeSantis,” which involved transporting South American asylum seekers around the country via chartered aircraft.
According to Customs and Border Protection, the total number of migrant encounters this December surpassed 190,000, with daily averages exceeding 10,000 encounters. The situation is on track to break the record set in September 2023, when 269,000 encounters were recorded in a single month.
As a response, Abbott has started to transport 89,200 migrants this week to Democratic-controlled states and cities, including Washington, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles.
“Because [Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson] is failing to live up to his city’s ‘Welcoming City’ ordinance by targeting migrant buses from Texas, we are expanding our operation to include flights to Chicago, like the Biden Administration has been doing across the country,” said Abbott’s press secretary Andrew Mahaleris.
He added that the operation provides “vital relief” to border towns drowning under the number of migrants. “Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue taking historic action to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis.”
The first flight under the program departed from El Paso on Dec. 19 and arrived at O’Hare Airport in Chicago on that same day, carrying over 120 passengers, including families and children.
“Migrants willingly choose to go to sanctuary cities, having signed a voluntary consent waiver available in multiple languages upon boarding that they agreed on the destination,” said Mahaleris.
Abbott charters migrant flights after lawsuits against migrant buses
In April 2022, Abbott started bussing migrants from Texas to Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles to support border communities overwhelmed by the influx of migrants. However, Johnson has interfered with the strategy and filed 55 lawsuits against bus companies transporting migrants to Democratic-controlled states.
The strict rules for drop-offs include allowing only two per hour and restricting drop-offs to 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Monday through Friday. The city has threatened fines and the potential impounding of buses that do not comply with these regulations. The reality of housing and feeding the growing number of migrants kicked in, especially as winter set in after Johnson proclaimed Chicago a sanctuary city to welcome migrants. The city now grapples with the consequences of an open border and poor handling of the crisis.
Moreover, Johnson has accused Abbott and his “Air Texas” program of sowing “chaos” throughout the country and attacking the nation. He has even condemned the transportation of migrants as an “illegal” political stunt.
“The governor of Texas needs to take a look in the mirror, with the chaos he’s causing for the people of this country,” Johnson said.
However, Mahaleris countered the criticism and accused Johnson of spreading falsehoods. “If he truly cared about these migrants, he would stop complaining about a few thousand migrants being bused into his sanctuary city,” Mahaleris said. He urged Johnson to call on Biden to secure the border, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by border patrol agents.
Follow Migrants.news for more news about illegal immigrants coming to America.
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