Immigrants dumped here by Governor of Texas

Thera Martin

theramartin10@gmail.com

Republican Governor of Texas Greg Abbott is something else. He said he would send immigrants by the busload to Philadelphia, a declared “sanctuary city,” and sure enough, that is exactly what he’s done. They’re being transported from the U.S.-Mexico border by the thousands to “sanctuary cities.” In a statement announcing the bus trips to Philadelphia, Abbott’s office said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney “has long-celebrated and fought for sanctuary city status, making the city an ideal addition to Texas’ list of dropoff locations.”

For Mayor Kenney’s part, he said he would greet the arrivals with “dignity and respect” and condemned Governor Abbott’s actions.

Mayor Kenney said the city had been working with more than a dozen local organizations to provide the migrants with shelter space, emergency health screening, food, water, language interpretation, and more. Some of the migrants are said to be planning to move on to other states. Kenney said that according to the local organizations-- only three migrants reported that Pennsylvania was their final destination--while others reportedly plan to head to places such as New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. That was from the first group of migrants that arrived in Philadelphia by bus. Since then, we've now had the sixth bus arrive Monday, December 5th.

The group of 49 was taken to a welcoming facility on E. Luzerne Street in North Philadelphia, officials said. They are being offered food, medical care, and clothes.

The first bus, carrying 28 passengers, arrived on Wednesday, Nov. 16. A second bus followed on Monday, Nov. 21, with 46 people. On Friday, Nov. 25, two buses carrying 71 people arrived in Philadelphia. Texas has put more than 300 busloads of migrants on the road since April, sometimes five a day, on unannounced journeys to cities including New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. The trips have cost Texas about $26 million, according to Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Department of Emergency Management.

So, what is a sanctuary city? It’s a city (or a county or a state) that limits its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents to protect low-priority immigrants from deportation while still turning over those who have committed serious crimes.

On one side, sanctuary cities can be seen as a good thing for people helping people who want to live here

See “Immigrants” page 7

Carlos Munoz reaches out to hug Larkin Stallings of Vineyard Haven, Mass., as the immigrants prepare to leave St. Andrews in Edgartown, Mass., Sept. 16, 2022. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took the playbook of a fellow Republican, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to a new level by catching officials flat-footed in Martha's Vineyard, Mass., with two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants. On Tuesday, Nov. 15, Abbott said that Philadelphia will become the next destination for migrants who the state is transporting from the U.S.-Mexico border by the thousands.

Ron Schloerb/Cape Cod Times via AP, File)

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but are not natives of this country. One of the concerning parts of being a sanctuary city is that some small percentage of the immigrants who come here may be people with a criminal past who want to carry that past into their future in America--and that is not good.

Lord knows we have enough criminals floating around already, who were born and raised in Philadelphia, Camden, Wilmington, etc.

My other concern is for the homeless people in our area who live on the street and can't seem to get any solid assistance. They also need clothing, jobs, medical care, education, and all the things these immigrants who just got dumped here by Texas Governor Abbott are receiving.

As a Christian, I know we are supposed to be kind to everyone and help everyone who appears to need some help, etc. Never turn your back on another human being in need, right? I’m struggling here to be the Christian woman I strive to be while, at the same time, thinking, what about the folk who have been here for years, begging and screaming for help, and whose cries fall on deaf ears?

I’m just saying. And just so you know, the Republican Governors of Arizona and Florida have also sent immigrants to northern U.S. cities.

If you have an opinion about Governor Abbott dropping off all these immigrants, or migrants, whatever you want to call them, in Philly, send me an email and share your thoughts at: theramartin10-@gmail.com.