The White House on Wednesday welcomed migrants to Washington, DC, after Texas Governor Greg Abbott chartered a bus to send them to the nation’s capital.
“It’s nice that Texas is helping them get to their final destination,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during the daily briefing.
Fox News reported the migrants transported to Washington, DC, are citizens of Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Psaki reassured the public that “all migrants have been processed by CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) and are free to travel” in the United States as they await their asylum claim court hearings.
When one reporter asked if the administration was in contact with the migrants traveling to Washington, DC, to ensure their safety, Psaki said it would be up to them to report mistreatment.
“Nobody can forcibly be put on a bus, they would have to voluntarily be put on a bus, and if there were concerns about that we would expect they would contact the proper authorities,” she said, calling Abbot’s announcement a “publicly stunt.”
Abbott said Wednesday the busing plan was intended to highlight Biden’s failure to secure the border.
“By busing migrants to Washington, DC, the Biden administration will be able to more immediately meet the needs of the people they are allowing to cross our border,” Abbott said in a statement, adding that “Texas should not have to bear the burden of the Biden administration’s failure to secure our border.”
Abbott’s public offer to transport migrants to Washington, DC, was derided as a publicity stunt by the White House, but Texas officials say the Biden administration has slowed the flow of migrants getting dropped off in Texas.
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