Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing program is what asylum advocates wanted all along

A group of migrants boards a Chicago Transit Authority bus at Chicago’s Union Station to be taken to a Salvation Army shelter after arriving from Texas on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. (Credit: Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune via REUTERS)

As Gov. Greg Abbott expands his program to bus migrants into a third major metro, inciting a fresh feud with a new Democratic mayor, immigration rights experts say the Republican governor who is working to crack down on illegal immigration is actually establishing one of the nation’s most generous publicly funded services to assist immigrants entering the country.

The free rides given to migrants to travel to sanctuary cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and now Chicago have cost the state $12.7 million so far. Abbott has provided voluntary trips to 8,900 migrants so far, according to his office. Those trips are bridging an important gap — the stiff cost of transportation — for immigrants entering the country, according to immigration rights advocates who are often on the opposite side of Abbott’s border security initiatives. Migrants entering the country often are seeking transportation to connect with relatives or friends who can make their transition into the U.S. smoother.