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CRUEL CHRISTMAS: Texas Governor abandons freezing asylum seekers in vile holiday stunt

CRUEL CHRISTMAS: Texas Governor abandons freezing asylum seekers in vile holiday stunt

Texas Governor abandons freezing asylum seekers in vile holiday stunt

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) stooped to new lows on Christmas Eve with his inhumane stunt that bussed asylum-seekers to Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in Washington D.C. before abandoning the ill-prepared migrants in freezing temperatures.

On Christmas Eve, multiple busloads of those fleeing poverty and persecution in several Central and South American countries were dropped on Madame Vice President’s doorstep without warning from the Republican governor’s administration.

Some were dressed only in t-shirts when left at the Naval Observatory in 18-degree winter weather.

Thankfully, a non-governmental organization (NGO) working on the Southern border alerted a migrant advocacy organization, Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, working in the nation’s capital of the groups’ arrival – providing warm blankets to a group that includes women and vulnerable children.

“The DC community has been welcoming buses from Texas anytime they’ve come since April, ” MSMAN volunteer Amy Fischer told CNN. “Christmas Eve and freezing cold weather is no different,” she said.

“We are always here welcoming folks with open arms,” Fischer added.

Gov. Abbott has received backlash and criticism for what many consider to be little more than a cruel political stunt that began in April of this year, adding fuel to the fire of the false GOP narrative that our nation’s borders are “under attack.”

Gov. Abbott claims that the Biden Administration is doing nothing to combat the humanitarian crisis while using money meant to help Texans affected by natural disasters to cover the cost.

But the opposite is true.

In July, President Joe Biden met with Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to talk about improving border security.

During the meeting, the two heads of state agreed to work together on a humane pathway forward that addresses both the immigration crisis, while creating more avenues for those seeking a better life to live and work legally in the United States by increasing the number of work visas, worker protections and a continued joint effort between Mexico and the Central American Country of Guatemala to stop trafficking on both sides of their borders.

This included a $1.5 billion commitment from President Lopez Obrador to help fund smart technology on the US/MX border, according to the Associated Press.

It doesn’t end there.

On the border city of El Paso, TX – ground zero for much of the migration – federal support totaling millions has been given to the burdened town as officials seek a solution to the significant influx of migrants.

Between July and September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) secured nearly $4 million in reimbursement of the $5.13 million El Paso has spent assisting NGOs in the area, the El Paso Times reported.

$2.24 million has been distributed to the city according to City Manager Mario D’Agostino.

“We have supported the crisis by opening a Migrant Welcome Center and we continued to provide humanitarian support for the ongoing migrant crisis in the form of staffing support for the non-profit organizations known as NGOs,” D’Agostino wrote in a December 15th, op-ed for the El Paso Times.

PPE, coronavirus testing, meals, and triage services are included in El Paso’s Migrant Crisis Incident Action Plan.

Thanks to federal funding, the Migrant Welcome Center has been able to provide transportation for those released by DHS – part of the process for migrants deemed to have legal standing to seek asylum in the U.S.

“Taking care of the migrants, means we are also taking care of our community as we do not want to add to the homeless population,” El Paso’s City Manager said.

It’s a vastly different approach than the state’s governor has implemented: stranding vulnerable refugees in the cold to make a political point.

Unsurprisingly, El Paso’s actions have been met with resistance from Abbott and the Texas Attorney General.

Though he promised Democratic Mayor Oscar Leeser he wouldn’t interfere without notice, on Dec. 14th Abbott asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate “the role of NGOs in planning and facilitating the illegal transportation of illegal immigrants across our borders.”

Ummm, Gov. Abbott, the call is coming from inside the house.

While the governor is using money allocated for disaster relief to play a cruel political game, tens of thousands of Texans are without power – again.

They are left to battle the freezing cold as Abbott spends up to $1400 per migrant to send half-empty buses to New York and Washington D.C, as Occupy Democrats previously reported.

However, unlike the Democratically run city of El Paso, he’s doing it in the most inhumane way possible that does nothing to either solve or help mitigate the immigration crisis.

No plan, no solution, no coordination, and no compassion.

Cruelty is the point.

Original reporting by Noah Gray at CNN and by Martha Pskowski at The El Paso Times.

Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick

Ty Ross
News journalist for Occupy Democrats.

© 2022 Occupy Democrats. All Rights Reserved.

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