According to a report by Nexstar, Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s migrant busing program has incurred a cost of $124 million for the state’s taxpayers since 2022.
According to a report published on KXAN-Austin, public records obtained by Nexstar reveal that the state has spent a total of $124,603,616.19 in transporting over 100,000 migrants to various cities including Chicago, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The transportation has been facilitated through the use of 2,245 buses, with an average of 45 passengers per bus.
Nextstar highlighted that the majority of the funds were allocated to Wynne Transportation LLC.
According to the report:
Taxpayers are footing about 99.6% of the total cost of these buses, coming from money already appropriated by the Texas Legislature for border security under Operation Lone Star.
Abbott created a donation portal for the program when it first launched to help supplement state dollars. As of early December 2023, the state has raised $460,196 to help pay for the buses, according to the governor’s office.
Migrants are being bused on a voluntary basis and do not pay the state to be transported. The documents did not detail price per passenger, since migrants are not paying for their ticket.
Abbott initiated the transportation of migrants to other states in April 2022 and voiced strong criticism against President Joe Biden’s border and immigration strategies.
“At that time,” Abbott remarked, “we have a president of the United States that is not securing the border and violating laws passed by Congress to ensure its security. On top of that, we have a president who is turning a blind eye to a security-based issue by allowing people on the terrorist watch lists to come into the United States of America.”
Currently, the governor is entangled in a standoff with the federal government, with Texas officials obstructing federal agents from removing razor wire in the border city of Eagle Pass.
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