Beijing, 7 Aug (Xinhua) -- A bus carrying Latin American immigrants from the southern UNITED States arrived in northeast New York City on 5 August. These immigrants became a tool for Republicans to pressure and demonstrate against Democrats.
About 50 migrants arrived in Manhattan, New York, by car that day, from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras and Venezuela.
A woman passes near Times Square in New York, U.S.A., on May 12. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Guo Ke)
"Most of them are unaccompanied," said Evelyn Zapata, a volunteer who helped the migrants, "and they don't know where to go." We will take them to the shelter. ”
This spring, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducy launched a "transport" campaign to transport Latin American immigrants by bus to Democrat-dominated cities to show their opposition to Democratic President Joe Biden's immigration policies.
Their first "target" was Washington, D.C. To date, more than 6,000 immigrants have been sent from Texas to Washington, and more than 1,000 have arrived in the capital from Arizona. Albert said Biden "refused to acknowledge that his open border policy triggered this (immigration) crisis" and that Texas had to "take unprecedented action to keep our communities safe."
Tourists sit on the steps to rest on the steps in Washington, D.C., on July 24. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Aaron)
The office of Eric Adams, the Democratic mayor of New York City, has been criticizing two Republican governors for weeks for transporting migrants to Washington, saying some have moved to New York City, adding to the local burden.
Albert said on the 5th that more immigrants will be sent to New York. He said sarcastically: "Not only Washington, but Also New York is an ideal destination where immigrants can get enough urban services and housing, and Mayor Eric Adams has boasted that this sanctuary city has these... I hope he will keep his promise to welcome all immigrants with open arms so that our overwhelmed border towns can breathe a sigh of relief. ”
Adams' spokesman Fabian Levy accused Albert of "using people as political pawns, disgusting", and White House press secretary Carina Jean-Pierre also accused Texas of "shameful" and unnecessary burdens on local taxpayers. The Texas government does not publish how much it costs to transport migrants. A local media outlet reported in June that the total cost in April and May amounted to $1.6 million.
People gather near the scene of the death of an immigrant in San Antonio, Texas, on June 27. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Nick Wagner)
Levy said New York would "continue to welcome immigrants with open arms," but that "we need support from the federal government."
On the same day, the U.S. Department of Defense refused to send the National Guard to assist in transporting and resettling migrants sent to Washington by Texas and Arizona. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser applied for support last month, hoping the Defense Department would deploy 150 National Guardsmen a day and provide facilities to resettle migrants. She said the arrival of immigrants had sparked a "growing humanitarian crisis" in Washington, while accusing Albert and Dusi of "cruelly playing political tricks" and "using desperate people to earn their share in politics."
However, the US Department of Defense said in a statement on the 5th that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rejected Bowser's request on the grounds of affecting the national guard readiness.
Bowser intends to continue to solicit support from the Defense Department and will seek to "ensure that they are not mixed with politics when making their decisions." (Hui Xiaoshuang)
Source: Xinhua News Agency