Texas & Florida Use Vulnerable Migrants to "Own the Libs" (Updated 9/19/22)
Republican Governors Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis use millions of taxpayer dollars to troll Democratic mayors…
The fight over immigration has heated up to a boiling point. Republican and Democratic politicians cannot agree on how to solve the crisis at the border. Hundreds of thousands of migrants cross the U.S. border with Mexico every month.
It appears as though Texas Governor Greg Abbott has concocted his own solution to immigration. Instead of trying to come up with a plan that’s humane to the migrants and considerate to other American cities and towns, Governor Abbott has decided to send bus and plane loads of migrants to Democrat-run cities across the nation.
The migrants were only sent to Democrat-run cities, such as New York City, Washington D.C., and Chicago. Abbott even sent two buses filled with about 100 migrants that were dropped off right in front of Vice President Kamala Harris’s residence. The migrants were confused and disoriented as they were told they were being sent to a place that could provide them with housing.
On Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis joined in the games and flew migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, an upscale island in Massachusetts, without even giving local officials any notice.
The White House and Democrats are calling these actions “cruel” and accused the two Republican Governors of purposely “creating chaos.” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pointed out that there is a legal apparatus to deal with migrants that Abbott and DeSantis are ignoring in favor of highly publicized political stunts.
She said that DeSantis and Abbott were interfering with that process and using poor, vulnerable human beings as political pawns to score points with their base. Why would Fox News know about these antics before the Department of Homeland Security or other local organizations in these targeted cities?
With midterms looming around the corner, Jean-Pierre has a good point. If you asked Governor Abbott if Texas could spend $12 million to feed to poor or to house the homeless in his state, he would probably tell you that Texas didn’t have the money to spend on those programs. But amazingly, they have $12 million to spend trolling Democrats.
As for the cities that are receiving these migrants, they are doing the best they can to deal with the unexpected visitors. The 100 migrants dropped off in front of VP Harris’s home were met by immigration advocates from the SAMU First Response, a humanitarian nonprofit organization. They made sure that the migrants received food, clothing, and hygiene items.
In Martha’s Vineyard, there was no warning of the planes filled with asylum seekers headed to the island. In fact, migrants claim that they were lied to about where they were headed. According to CNN, they were told that there would be a surprise present for them when they arrived and that they would be able to find jobs and housing. Local officials took the Venezuelans who were sent there to a federal military base until they could figure out the next steps to take.
In New York City, the influx of migrants has caused the city to reassess its sheltering procedures. Over 11,000 migrants have been bussed to the city from Texas. The concern over sheltering came as 60 men were turned away from the men’s intake shelter on E. 30th Street. Mayor Eric Adams stated that he expected thousands more migrants to be bussed in the next week. “The city’s system is nearing its breaking point,” Adams said.
On Thursday, Adams announced the opening of New York City’s first Asylum Seeker Resource and Navigation Center. Adams says the center will act as a one-stop-shop for those seeking asylum. They will be able to receive free and confidential help in obtaining the services necessary to help them integrate and thrive in NYC.
It’s appalling that these two Republican Governors would play with human lives in an attempt to “own the libs,’ as they love to do. In fact, that’s just about all that Republicans do anymore. Instead of having original ideas and creating policies that help elevate Americans in need, they would rather put on a show to depict how dysfunctional we are as a country. They prioritize putting their Democratic counterparts in difficult situations over working together in a bipartisan manner to resolve problems.
It’s obvious that this is mean-spirited because these cities and states are receiving no notice of the buses and planes full of migrants that are about to arrive in their areas. Politics is no longer about bipartisanship and compromise and trying to solve people’s issues.
The American government has become a shit show between two major parties that are both flawed, but one much more so than the other. Republicans are teetering on the edge. They’ve proven that they no longer believe in democracy and that they’d rather pledge their allegiance to an unhinged, delusional, lying conman who’s under numerous criminal investigations for his role in trying to overturn the government and hoarding top secret documents in his home, amongst other crimes.
Much of this conflict is due to Republicans’ issues with “sanctuary cities.” These cities operate a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy with immigrants and they believe it promotes a better relationship with police officers and their communities. According to Josh Harkinson of Mother Jones, undocumented immigrants’ cooperation with the police provides a safer environment for everyone.
Some people believe that sanctuary cities violate federal laws surrounding illegal immigration. But others argue that they are legal and protected under the 10th Amendment.
I don’t know what will resolve the immigration problem. But it’s not my job to do so. We’ve elected these people to work together, compromise, and solve our nation’s most onerous problems. People come to this country because it is a symbol of hope for millions living in impoverished, corrupt nations. They leave their homes with very few possessions and make the dangerous, arduous trek to America.
Then they arrive and are lied to and used as political pawns by Republican Governors who could care less what happens to them. What does that say about our nation? To me, it says that Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis care little about human lives and taxpayer dollars, especially when the midterms are around the corner, and one may have presidential aspirations. They should be ashamed of using some of the most vulnerable people in the country to achieve their party’s only goal of disrupting Democrats who are trying to do the work of the people.
UPDATE: 9/19/22
It has just come to my attention through Twitter that Governor Ron DeSantis gave fake brochures to the Martha’s Vineyard migrants promising eight months of cash assistance, food, job training, and housing assistance. This is depraved on a different level. How could you take desperate human beings, and get their hopes up, only to spit on their dreams in the end?
Governor Ron DeSantis is an evil man and has no business in public office if this is the way he treats helpless migrants. We define our society by how we treat the most vulnerable of our population. Whether they’re American citizens or not, this is an audacious, hateful crime on humanity.
It has just come to my attention through Twitter that Governor Ron DeSantis gave fake brochures to the Martha’s Vineyard migrants promising eight months of cash assistance, food, job training, and housing assistance. This is depraved on a different level. How could you take desperate human beings, and get their hopes up, only to spit on their dreams in the end?
Governor Ron DeSantis is an evil man and has no business in public office if this is the way he treats helpless migrants. We define our society by how we treat the most vulnerable of our population. Whether they’re American citizens or not, this is an audacious, hateful crime on humanity.
