White House Condemns Greg Abbott Over Yet Another Migrant Stunt

The White House on Sunday blamed Texas Governor Greg Abbott for sending more than 100 migrants to Vice President Kamala Harris’ home on Christmas Eve—the coldest that Washington DC has experienced in decades. “Governor Abbott abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures on Christmas Eve without coordinating with any Federal or local authorities,” White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan said in a statement, per CNN, calling it “a cruel, dangerous, and shameful stunt.” Hasan reiterated the administration’s willingness to work with both parties on issues such as immigration reform and border security, adding that Abbott’s “political games accomplish nothing and only put lives in danger.”

Late Saturday night, buses full of migrant families arrived outside the Naval Observatory, where the vice president’s home is located, from Texas. “Volunteers scrambled to meet the asylum seekers after the buses, which were scheduled to arrive in New York on Christmas Day, were rerouted due to the winter weather,” the Washington Post reported. Relief agencies SAMU First Response and the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network were on the ground Saturday evening to help with the arrivals, providing blankets to the migrants—some of whom were “wearing only T-shirts in the freezing weather,” according to CNN—and transporting them to a local church where they were given food and other resources. 

Texas authorities haven’t confirmed Abbott’s involvement in the bus drop-offs, and multiple outlets reported Sunday morning that the governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment. The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network “said the buses were sent by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which follows the directive of Gov. Greg Abbott’s office,” according to the New York Times. It wouldn’t be the first time that Abbott has sent migrants to Harris’ backyard: In September, he transported 50 migrants to DC, calling on the Biden administration to “do its job & secure the border.” Other Republican leaders have also embraced such tactics, including Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who earlier this year sent two planes of migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard—a stunt which reportedly costed more than $600,000.