Dozens of immigrants, who arrived by bus in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesdaywere shipped from Texas in a move that the city’s mayor called a “despicable stunt” the city had been preparing for.
In a statement, Bass said the city had a plan and that an emergency management team, police, fire and other agencies learned of the migrants’ arrival as the bus headed for Southern California.
“This did not take us by surprise, nor will it intimidate us,” Bass said. “Now, it is time to execute our plan.
A group of migrants arrived at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles on a bus from Texas on Wednesday, said the state’s governor, Greg Abbott.
“Shortly after taking office, I directed city departments to begin planning in case Los Angeles was on the receiving end of a despicable stunt that Republican governors have grown so fond of.”
Forty-two people, including some children, were dropped off at Union Station around 4 p.m. and were being cared for by city agencies and charitable organizations, Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon’s office said.
The migrants were receiving initial help at St. Anthony’s Croatian Catholic Church near downtown.
In a message posted on its Facebook page, the church said it is serving as a place to process migrants, who will be picked up by relatives or sponsors for transport to area shelters.
The publication said that no one slept in the parish center.
“This was a well-organized operation by various emergency agencies and our facility was used ONLY as a temporary (sic) humanitarian processing site,” the church said in its post.
The 40 migrants, including children, who were sent to Los Angeles from Texas on a bus, were taken to a church for medical care and shelter.
“They left yesterday and spent 23 hours on the bus and didn’t have a chance to eat or drink water,” said Jorge Mario Cabrera of the Coalition for Human Rights of Immigrants (CHIRLA), who spoke with several migrants.
“They are being fed; they are taking shelters; they are talking to lawyers. These are migrants the United States has allowed entry because they have credible fears. They have not received asylum yet.”
Many were from Latin American countries, including Honduras and Venezuela, and one person had an immigration appointment in New York, he said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the immigrants were sent to Los Angeles because California had declared itself a “sanctuary” for immigrants, extending protections to people living in the country illegally and allowing them to apply for some state benefits.
“Our border communities are on the front lines of President Biden’s border crisis, and Texas will continue to provide this much-needed relief until he takes the lead in doing his job and securing the border,” Abbott said in a statement.
Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis brought groups of immigrants from the border states to Sacramento, California, at taxpayer expense. last fall, Florida took 49 Venezuelans to the luxurious island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
This story first appeared on Telemundo 52’s sister station, NBCLA. Click here to read this story in English.
