Despite some Republican governors using migrant buses to try to embarrass Democrats, transportation for migrants from border areas to places where they can find shelter may be an important part of handling an unprecedented crush of asylum-seekers.
Providing bus and plane tickets is a longstanding method used by local officials and advocates trying to speed migrants on their way to family and friends while they legally apply for asylum, and to clear shelter space for newcomers. But advocates stress that transportation must be welcomed by the migrants and coordinated with people who will be receiving them.
“The notion of getting people from the border to their final destination, if they are going to present an asylum case, is not a crazy idea, especially if it’s done right. It’s a stopgap solution while we work on policy solutions,” said Andrew Selee, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Migration Policy Institute, a think tank that favors more legal immigration to discourage individual border crossings in search of asylum. “There’s just so many people who want to get here right now and so much demand for their labor.”
