Caught between feuding politicians, nonprofits shoulder burden of Texas’ migrant busing program

Migrants transported from Texas arrive at the Port Authority bus terminal in New York City on Aug. 25. (Credit: REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado)

Over the past seven months, Texas has moved nearly 13,000 migrants from the border to the Democratic-run cities of Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago — in what has emerged as an unprecedented cross-country movement of migrants by a state government.

All of that has happened — suddenly and chaotically — with virtually no communication between the Texas governor’s office and the leaders of the cities and states where the migrants are sent. Gov. Greg Abbott’s office says it has not received any direct requests to coordinate the busing program from any of the cities or states. But the city of New York and the Illinois governor’s office shared letters with The Texas Tribune sent to Texas officials about the buses that they said went unanswered.