“Political Pawns”: Immigrant Activists Decry Texas Gov. Abbott for Busing Asylum Seekers to NYC

Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott is sending busloads of asylum seekers to New York City and other “liberal” cities to oppose what he calls the Biden administration’s “open borders policies.” About 100 asylum seekers arrived Wednesday at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in a bus chartered by Texas, adding to the thousands of asylum seekers the city claims has strained its shelter system in the past few months. Some say they were misled into boarding the buses and signing consent waivers. Immigration activists are calling for the city, state and federal governments to provide better care for those arriving in New York. “What we’re seeing happening right now is Governor Abbott using asylum seekers as political pawns to merely help increase his polling numbers down in Texas,” says Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the ​​New York Immigration Coalition, which is part of an effort to welcome people with dignity, mutual aid and legal services.

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