Texas has spent more than $221 million in taxpayer funds to bus nearly 120,000 migrants to six sanctuary cities since April 2022, an increase from $148 million reported earlier this year. The program, initiated by Gov. Greg Abbott, is part of a broader response to the sharp rise in migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border after President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
The busing effort is aimed at relieving pressure on Texas border towns and redistributing migrants to cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
Records obtained under the Texas Public Information Act reveal that nearly all the costs, over $221 million, were paid by Texas taxpayers, with only $460,000 coming from outside donations. The expenses break down to roughly $1,848 per migrant bus ticket.
Abbott has consistently defended the program, saying it is necessary to protect Texas communities and to draw national attention to immigration issues. He maintains that the initiative helps shift the burden away from Texas border towns that have been inundated by migrant arrivals.
“Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by over 85% thanks to our historic border mission,” Abbott’s spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement.
Abbott also credited Texas’s $11 billion Operation Lone Star initiative, which deployed National Guard troops and state troopers to patrol the border.
Critics, however, have condemned the busing program as a political stunt.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, whose city has received more than 45,000 migrants from Texas, accused Abbott of using migrants as pawns and failing to notify receiving cities of incoming buses, straining local resources.
Adams’ administration has since imposed regulations requiring bus companies to notify New York officials ahead of time, limiting hours of migrant transportation.
The busing program has slowed in recent months, with Texas sending no buses north in July 2024, according to state officials. The last bus left El Paso for New York on June 27.
The slowdown coincides with a sharp drop in migrant crossings after a June executive order from President Biden limited asylum opportunities for migrants. Federal reports show a 32% decline in migrant apprehensions in Texas during June.
