Jamiesfeast – Texas has spent over $124 million transporting groups of migrants to sanctuary cities, as per records obtained by Nexstar.
Texas has spent a total of $124,603,616.19 to transport over 100,000 migrants from the border communities to various cities including Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles. These payments were made up until January 10th. In total, this amounts to 2,245 buses so far this year, with an average of 45 migrants per bus.
Nexstar recently acquired the documents by submitting a public information request to the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the agency responsible for overseeing this initiative. The bulk of the payments have been awarded to Wynne Transportation LLC, although a few payments have also been made to Transportation Management Services Inc.
As part of Governor Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star,” a multibillion-dollar initiative aimed at reducing border crossings, the program involves the relocation of migrants to other cities in the United States. Since April 2022, the Republican governor has been sending busloads of migrants out of the state, stating that it will alleviate the strain of immigration on Texas cities.
Who is paying for the buses?
Taxpayers are responsible for covering nearly all of the expenses associated with these buses, which account for approximately 99.6% of the total cost. The funding for these buses has been allocated from the money already designated by the Texas Legislature for border security under Operation Lone Star.
According to the governor’s office, Abbott established a donation portal for the program during its initial launch to provide additional funding alongside state dollars. As of early December 2023, a total of $460,196 has been raised to support the purchase of the buses.
Migrants are willingly transported by bus without having to pay the state for the service. The documents provided did not specify the cost per passenger, as migrants are not required to pay for their transportation.
Nexstar is currently in the process of acquiring the most up-to-date, comprehensive invoices that outline the specific costs associated with each bus. In September 2022, Nexstar gained access to busing records from TDEM. These records revealed that the costs encompassed the fees for bus mileage, driver compensation, and security personnel, which was identified as the most costly component. A senior spokesperson from TDEM informed Nexstar that the state deemed security measures crucial to safeguard the well-being of both passengers and drivers throughout their cross-country journey.