Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had some choice words for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott following his questionable decision to bus migrants to the city while Hurricane Hilary hit Southern California.
According to USA Today, on Sunday, Aug. 20, torrential rain and high winds caused Los Angeles officials to issue an emergency warning to residents; however, Abbott saw fit to approve the deportation
of 37 migrants—including 16 families with 14 children, one as young as an infant—out of Brownsville, Texas, into the city that same afternoon. “It is evil to endanger the lives of vulnerable migrants by sending a bus with families and toddlers on board to a city that at the time was under an unprecedented tropical storm warning,” Bass said in a statement. “As I stood with state and local leaders warning Angelenos to stay safe and brace themselves for the worst of the coming storm, the Governor of Texas sent families and toddlers straight for us on a path through extreme weather conditions.”An immigrant rights group, the L.A. Welcomes Collective, confirmed the migration of those on the bus to Bass and other officials.
“If
anybody understands the danger of hurricanes and thunderstorms, it’s the Governor of Texas – who has to deal with this threat on an annual basis,” Bass added. “This is a despicable act beyond politics.” Abbott began busing migrants to Los Angeles following President Joe Biden’s border policies that are more welcoming to those seeking better opportunities and safety on American land. Los Angeles has “self-declared sanctuary city status,” which Abbott has pointed to as his reason for sending busloads of migrants who’ve descended upon Texas’ borders to the Golden State. The governor’s press secretary responded to critiques of their actions, saying, “Migrants willingly chose to go to Los Angeles, having signed a voluntary consent waiver available in multiple languages upon boarding that they agreed on the destination.”