White House assails Texas Governor Abbott over Christmas Eve migrant drop

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House will open on December 26 on a cold Christmas Eve in Washington D.C. C. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has accused Texas Gov. .

Abbott, a Republican who has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s immigration policies, has not acknowledged the demotion on Christmas Eve, and his office has not claimed responsibility. President Joe Biden is a Democrat.

An estimated 110 to 130 immigrants seeking asylum in the United States were put on buses by Texas officials, immigration aid groups said Sunday after they arrived in the U.S. capital.

“Governor Abbott left children on the side of the road on Christmas Eve in freezing temperatures without coordinating with federal and local authorities,” White House spokesman Abdullah Hassan said in a statement. .

“Political games accomplish nothing and only risk lives,” added Hasan.

Texas, which has bussed thousands of immigrants to Washington, New York City, and Chicago, has faced some criticism amid a national debate over the mass arrival of immigrants along the US Southern border. The house calls it a stunt.

Abbott has previously said his state deliberately buses immigrants to sanctuary cities that are discouraging law enforcement from deporting them.

Mr. Hassan said the Biden administration is ready to work with Democrats and Republicans to solve the immigration problem.

Amy Fisher, organizer of the Immigrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, told NPR that immigrants were immediately transferred to buses provided by the city of Washington and moved to churches where hot food and clothing were distributed.

Claudia Tristan, co-host of the same group, told Reuters on Monday that almost all the migrants who fell near the vice president’s home were already en route to relatives and friends in the United States.

In a Dec. 20 letter to Biden, Abbott said thousands of men, women and children in Texas risk freezing to death in the streets every day.

Texas Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez told CNN on Monday that Texas provinces like him were overwhelmed by the number of immigrants and couldn’t accommodate everyone.

“Busing immigrants out of this area helps in some ways, but it doesn’t solve the problem,” said Cortez, from a county bordering Mexico.

Reported by Nandita Bose and Kanishka Singh, with additional reporting by Susan Heavey.Editing by Howard Goller

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