Council to take up probe on immigrant busing by Texas
323 asylum seekers have arrived since June 14, dispatched by Gov. Greg Abbott
A Los Angeles City Council committee on Friday approved a motion calling for the city attorney's office to investigate whether crimes were committed on or before June 14, when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bused 42 migrants to downtown L.A.
The Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relation unanimously approved the motion, which would request the city attorney begin proceedings on any potential civil legal action that could be taken against the state of Texas, Gov. Abbott, or any other entity involved in the planning and action of busing migrants to Union Station on June 14.
The motion was approved under consent, so no prior discussion was made by the three-member committee.
Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez introduced the motion on June 16 alongside council members Hugo Soto-Martinez, Monica Rodriguez and Nithya Raman.
The council approved a motion on June 9 seeking to formally establish the city as a “Sanctuary City.” Days later, Abbott sent the first of many buses of migrants from a Texas border town to Union Station. Approximately 42 people, including 18 minors endured a 23-hour bus ride without basic essentials, including food and diapers, according to the motion.
“While our city has unequivocally shown that we can and will be a safe haven for migrants and will welcome anyone who comes to Los Angeles, we cannot tolerate the abuse of human lives for the benefit of political theater,” the motion reads. “Gov. Abbott's sentiments and actions are despicable, manipulative, racist, regressive and potentially criminal, and the city cannot and will not sit idly by while potential human rights violations take place.”
In addition, the rules committed approved a resolution, under consent as well, calling upon Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, the state Attorney General Rob Bonta and the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate and report on the same issue.
The resolution also calls upon county, state and federal government to “support the housing, placement and necessary resources to ensure a dignified welcome to Los Angeles for the migrants.”
The motion and resolution will head to full council at a future date.
On Thursday, the city and community groups welcomed and responded to the eighth bus of migrants from Texas. The bus, with 40 migrants from Bownsville, Texas aboard, arrived about 11:08 a.m.
It contained 14 families, including 12 children ranging in age from 9 months to 17 years old, according to the collective, which is an organization of immigrant-rights workers, faith organizations and providers that works with the city and county of Los Angeles.
A total of 323 asylum seekers from Texas have now arrived in Los Angeles since June 14, when the first bus dispatched by Abbott arrived at Union Station.
Abbott has been orchestrating the buses from Brownsville to California, saying Texas' border region is “overwhelmed” by immigrants crossing the Mexican border.
“Texas' small border towns remain overwhelmed and overrun by the thousands of people illegally crossing into Texas from Mexico because of President Biden's refusal to secure the border,” Abbott said in a statement after the first bus arrived in Los Angeles in June.
“Los Angeles is a major city that migrants seek to go to, particularly now that its city leaders approved its self-declared sanctuary city status. Our border communities are on the front lines of President Biden's border crisis, and Texas will continue providing this much-needed relief until he steps up to do his job and secure the border.”