Vice President Kamala Harris declined to comment on Thursday after 101 migrants were sent from Texas and dropped outside her residence in DC.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent two busses of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, to the US Naval Observatory in protest of the administration's relaxed border security policies.
"This morning, two Texas buses of migrants arrived at the Naval Observatory in DC," Governor Abbott said in a tweet. "VP Harris claims our border is “secure” & denies the crisis. We’re sending migrants to her backyard to call on the Biden Administration to do its job & secure the border." This morning, two Texas buses of migrants arrived at the Naval Observatory in DC.
VP Harris claims our border is “secure” & denies the crisis.
We’re sending migrants to her backyard to call on the Biden Administration to do its job & secure the border. https://t.co/H5n0ChTbIX
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 15, 2022
When asked by Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins about their arrivals, one of the migrants said that they believe the border is open. BREAKING: Two buses of 101 migrants mostly from Venezuela arrive outside @VP Harris house in DC sent by @GregAbbott_TX - one migrant telling me he believes the border is “open” @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/Q70utdE4k0
— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) September 15, 2022
“Vice President Harris said that the border is closed. Is the border closed? Do you believe that the border is closed or is it open?” Jenkins asked.
“It’s open, not closed. The border is open…everybody believes that the border is open. It’s open because we enter. We come in, free, no problem,” the migrant replied.
He added, "we came illegally, not legal."
When asked about the arrivals during an event later in the day, the Vice President briefly looked at the reporter before walking away. Kamala ignores question about the illegal immigrants dropped off at her residence in DCpic.twitter.com/sVR8cxYj8L
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 15, 2022
"The Biden-Harris Administration continues ignoring and denying the historic crisis at our southern border, which has endangered and overwhelmed Texas communities for almost two years," said Governor Abbott in a statement. "Our supposed Border Czar, Vice President Kamala Harris, has yet to even visit the border to see firsthand the impact of the open border policies she has helped implement, even going so far as to claim the border is ‘secure.’ Texas will continue sending migrants to sanctuary cities like Washington, D.C. until President Biden and Border Czar Harris step up and do their jobs to secure the border."
The statement noted that "this arrival of migrants comes days after Vice President Harris' trip to Houston, where she claimed the southern border was secure and denied the existence of a border crisis. This busing strategy is part of the state's ongoing response to President Biden’s reckless border policies that are overwhelming border communities in Texas."
Governor Abbott, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey have been shipping migrants from their states to liberal strongholds with sanctuary policies.
"In April, Governor Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to charter buses to transport migrants from Texas to Washington, D.C.," Governor Abbott's office said. "In August, the Governor added sanctuary cities New York City and Chicago as additional drop-off locations. Since beginning this busing strategy in the spring, over 10,000 migrants have been transported to these sanctuary cities while providing much-needed relief to Texas' overwhelmed border communities."
As Timcast previously reported, on Wednesday Governor DeSantis sent two airplanes full of Venezuelan migrants to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.
"Yes, Florida can confirm the two planes with illegal immigrants that arrived in Martha’s Vineyard today were part of the state’s relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations," the governor’s communications director, Taryn Fenske, told Fox News.
"States like Massachusetts, New York, and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and support for the Biden administration’s open border policies," Fenske continued.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public emergency last week over the migrant arrivals.
