The Republican governors of Texas, Arizona, and Florida have been sending asylum seekers from their states to New York, Washington, Chicago, Sacramento, and even Martha’s Vineyard. This has been done without agreement or consent from the authorities in the destinations.
The passengers have not been told much of anything either. Except, they have misleadingly been told that there are plentiful services and opportunities awaiting them in those Democratic-run cities, amid simmering political and legal rows.
Some asylum seekers have been put on buses, and others have been put on flights.
In New York, more than 11,000 asylum seekers have been dispatched to the city in recent months after crossing the border from Mexico and receiving permission to seek asylum.
While the mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, has complained about receiving little or no notice from southern states when asylum seekers are arriving, aid groups complain about a lack of liaison from his office, too.
Civil rights and immigration experts and activists said more communication is needed in order to tell asylum seekers that the NGOs are there to help refugees.
Volunteers in New York have waited to try and match refugees with spaces in the city’s stretched homeless shelter network. In the coming days, arrivals may be taken to controversial huge tents.
There has been significant backlash to the Republican governors’ decisions to ship refugees away.
In Texas, Democratic congresswoman Veronica Escobar cited “maliciousness” in Republican governor Greg Abbott’s actions. Beto O’Rourke, who is challenging him in the midterm elections this November, called the unilateral bussing “demonizing people”.
There have been many reasons that people are seeking asylum in the United States and have needed to leave their home countries.
Many thousands have fled economic collapse and political violence in Venezuela, making an arduous overland journey to Mexico, then the U.S.
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