The Democratic mayor of El Paso, Texas, Oscar Leeser, initiated a program to bus migrants to New York, Chicago, and Denver. This decision comes amidst an escalating migrant crisis that has seen the city of El Paso reach what Leeser describes as a “breaking point.”
The city of El Paso has been grappling with an influx of over 2,000 migrants daily, most of whom hail from Venezuela. The strain on resources has become untenable, leading Mayor Leeser to take this drastic step.
He stated at a recent press conference, “The city of El Paso only has so many resources and we have come to … a breaking point right now.”
😂😂😂 Democratic Mayor Oscar Leeser of El Paso Texas is bussing illegal migrants to Democratic ruled, sanctuary cities of New York, Chicago and Denver.
Dem Texas mayor says city is at 'breaking point' as border crisis rageshttps://t.co/sToC6b3VJl
— Logic Reason Compassion (@rt50484) September 25, 2023
This move by Mayor Leeser is not without its critics. Democrats have previously criticized Republican governors for bussing migrants to “sanctuary cities,” labeling such actions as cruel and inhumane.
However, Leeser seems to disagree with this sentiment, highlighting the broken immigration system as the root cause of the issue. “It’s the same thing over and over again,” he lamented.
According to Jorge Rodriguez with El Paso Emergency Management, the migrants are being transported voluntarily. “Every individual that boards one of these buses is going voluntarily,” Rodriguez said.
“They sign a form stating that they’re going voluntarily to the destination of their choice. No one has been forced, but we are coordinating with them carefully.”
However, the impact of this decision is already being felt in the cities where these migrants are being transported. Resources in Chicago have been strained to the extent that migrants have been sheltering in police stations and airports.
New York City, which received 100,000 asylum seekers in the last year, is still struggling to house them.
Texas Governor Still Bussing Illegal Migrants To Sanctuary Cities In U.S.https://t.co/OnnXIbrmlD
— BRIAN FRASER (@bfraser747) September 26, 2023
Meanwhile, Texas Governor Abbott took a different approach to the migrant crisis.
In an effort to keep migrants out of his state, he launched Operation Lone Star in 2021 to prevent migrants from illegally crossing the border. Texas also installed buoys to make it difficult for them to cross the border through the Rio Grande River.
As the migrant crisis continues to unfold, the actions of Mayor Leeser and Governor Abbott highlight the differing strategies being employed to address this issue.
While the long-term effects of these decisions remain to be seen, one thing is clear: the immigration system is broken. Now, it’s the ordinary citizens and migrants themselves who are bearing the brunt of its failures.
