On Saturday evening, three buses from Texas dropped off about 140 recent migrants, including babies and young children, near Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington D.C., in historically cold temperatures.
The drop-off appears to be the latest example of a push by governors in Republican-led states, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to bus migrants to liberal hotspots like New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
However, immigration activists claimed that Saturday’s incident was especially cruel due to the freezing temperatures in the nation’s capital and the fact that it occurred on Christmas Eve.
Her organization was one of many that assisted in providing shelter to the migrants who arrived on Saturday.
“D.C. was prepared and we showed up and welcomed folks, as we’ve been doing for months now,” she added.
Bahl stated that the three buses carrying approximately 140 migrants arrived from Texas, including Del Rio, Laredo, and Eagle Pass — all towns along the US-Mexico border — and that the majority of the arrivals were from Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean.
The migrants were dropped off near Harris’ home at the Naval Observatory.
There were young children and babies on the arriving buses, though Bahl said the group did not know how many. According to her, many of the adults who arrived lacked shoes, while others wore flip-flops or sandals.
Temperatures in some parts of Washington, D.C., dropped as low as 10 degrees on Saturday night, making it one of the coldest Christmas Eves in recent memory.
“These people were freezing,” explained Bahl.
The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network and other organizations picked up the migrants and transported them to shelters with food and warm clothing. Many of the arrivals are also being assisted by the group in locating transportation to their final destinations.
In a statement, the White House blamed Abbott for the stunt, accusing him of “abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures on Christmas Eve without coordinating with any Federal or local authorities.”
“This was a cruel, dangerous, and shameful stunt,” said Abdullah Hasan, assistant press secretary at the White House.
“As we have repeatedly said, we are willing to work with anyone — Republican or Democrat alike — on real solutions, like the comprehensive immigration reform and border security measures President Biden sent to Congress on his first day in office, but these political games accomplish nothing and only put lives in danger,” said Hasan.
Busloads of migrants began arriving in liberal strongholds without warning earlier this year, as Abbott, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sought to use the tactic to highlight the Biden administration’s failed border policies.
Thousands of migrants have since arrived in New York, Washington, Chicago, and other cities, causing officials in those cities to scramble to provide them with assistance.
There have been numerous reports of migrants being dropped off outside or near Harris’ home.
