Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is hitting back at the White House after a spokesperson for President Biden called the busing of migrants to the nation’s capital on Christmas Eve a “dangerous and shameful stunt.”
Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Abbott, deemed Biden the “Hypocrite-in-Chief” for criticizing Texas while “flying planeloads of migrants across the country and oftentimes in the cover of night.”
“These migrants willingly chose to go to Washington, D.C., having signed a voluntary consent waiver available in multiple languages upon boarding that they agreed on the destination,” Eze told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“And they were processed and released by the federal government, who are dumping them at historic levels in Texas border towns like El Paso, which recently declared a state of emergency because of the Biden-made crisis.”
This image provided by WJLA shows migrant families as they get on a bus to transport them from near the Vice President’s residence to an area church after they arrived in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. (WJLA via AP)
Gov. Greg Abbott has bused more than 8,700 migrants from Texas to the nation’s capital since April. (WJLA via AP)
Three buses of migrants were dropped off in Washington, D.C., on Christmas Eve, at least one of which left its passengers near the home of Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Democrats across the nation harshly criticized Abbott for the trip, with White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan calling it a “cruel, dangerous and shameful stunt.”
“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,” Hasan in a statement earlier in the week.
“As we have repeatedly said, we are willing to work with anyone – Republican or Democrat alike – on real solutions, like the comprehensive immigration reform and border security measures President Biden sent to Congress on his first day in office, but these political games accomplish nothing and only put lives in danger.”
An aerial view of immigrants lining up next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence after spending the night outside on December 22, 2022 in El Paso, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Immigrants warm to a fire at dawn after spending the night outside next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence on December 22, 2022 in El Paso, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday about the latest statement from Abbott’s office.
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Since April, Texas has bused more than 8,700 migrants to Washington, D.C., as well as 4,500 migrants to New York City, 1,500 migrants to Chicago, and 520 migrants to Philadelphia.
Abbott has said that he started busing migrants to provide relief to overwhelmed border communities and bring attention to the crisis, as there were a record 2.3 million migrant encounters in fiscal year 2022.