Texas Governor Targets Migrants in Anticipation of Influx at Border – New York Times

HOUSTON — Gov. Greg Abbott said on Wednesday that Texas would set up checkpoints to stop commercial vehicles coming from Mexico and would charter buses to bring migrants released by federal agents north to Washington, ushering in a new phase in an increasingly pitched political clash over immigration policy.

The tug of war over border policy has been politically advantageous for the governor in his re-election campaign, his political aides have said, and reflects real concern among Texas officials and voters that not enough has been done to address the surging number of migrant encounters at the border.

The twin imperatives — security and politics — were on display in a news conference as Mr. Abbott lashed out at the Biden administration and promised that the first migrants who agreed to be bused from Texas to Washington would be dropped at the doorstep of federal lawmakers.

"The first location" for drop-off, he said, "will be the steps of the United States Capitol."

Since President Biden took office, Mr. Abbott, a Republican who is running for his third term in November, has sought ways to increase the involvement of Texas law enforcement along the border, engaging in a broad expansion of state efforts to stop and, in some cases, arrest migrants.

Officials presented few details about how their plan would work. Asked at the news conference how many buses would be used, the head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, W. Nim Kidd, could not say. "We will use as many buses as necessary," Mr. Kidd said.

A spokesman for the department said that the number of buses needed would depend on requests from local officials, and that migrants could be taken to other areas outside of Texas, not only Washington.

The effort echoed a bill introduced last year by Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, to send migrants arriving in South Texas to Democratic states in the Northeast and in California.

Representative Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat, called Mr. Abbott's announcement "shameful."

"These are families escaping desperate poverty, ruthless violence and life-threatening situations," she said. "They could contribute greatly to Texas if they were welcomed, like Texans are supposed to do."