It has grown for just Republican led Texas and Florida shipping migrants to Blue states….
To a whole scale system that criss crosses the country……
At state taxpayers expense….
It’s no longer just red-state governors making a loud political point. Democratic state and city leaders are investing in their own forms of migrant transportation programs, though they are quick to differentiate their motivations from those of Abbott and DeSantis.
- New York City has spent millions on what they call a “re-ticketing program,” which launched last year when the city first began facing an influx of new arrivals. The program provides free bus and plane tickets to migrants and asylum seekers’ final destination.
- It’s become so popular, the city opened up a central site last month dedicated to the program.
- Arizona’s Democratic governor has spent about $5.7 million transporting nearly 27,000 asylum seekers both within and out of the state, Axios Phoenix reports.
- The city of Denver has spent nearly $4.3 million on migrant transportation costs. New York, Chicago and Salt Lake City are three of their most frequent requests, according to the mayor’s office.
- Catholic Charities in Chicago tells Axios it has used city money to buy tickets for 2,500 migrants to travel to other towns.
What they’re saying: “We think the humanitarian thing to do is to get you to the place where you have the best chance of succeeding,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston told Axios Denver earlier this month.
- He said officials ask migrants if they’d like to travel to a different city. “If their final destination is Denver, we keep them here and we support them.”
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What to watch: Not only are transportation programs themselves costing millions, but a slew of lawsuits targeting all sides of the practice could cost taxpayers even more.
- Florida is facing legal challenges for efforts to ship migrants out of the state, as well as over a new law making it a felony to transport migrants into Florida who illegally crossed the border.
- Texas has been the subject of investigation for its treatment of migrants who are moved out of state on buses, and could face legal action from Los Angelesfor sending them there.
- Two New York counties were sued for barring migrants and asylum-seekers from relocating there from New York City.
Zoom out: Responding to historic levels of migration throughout the Americas has come with high costs across the board in the U.S.
- U.S. immigration agencies are running out of money.
- The White House is begging Congress for billions in emergency funds.
- Democratic cities are demanding billions in federal dollars to bolster their shelter systems.
- And now destination cities like Chicago and New York are limiting how long migrant and asylum-seekers can stay in shelters, to create space for newer arrivals….