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The Morning: The back story of the migrant buses


Florida Governor Ron DeSantis created a firestorm this month because of what he did to about 50 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, who recently crossed the southern border: He brought them up. Two planes take them to Martha’s Vineyard, a famous liberal and upscale vacation destination in Massachusetts. He is following the lead, albeit more explosive, of fellow GOP governor Greg Abbott of Texasin sending migrants to progressive strongholds.

To understand what was going on, I spoke with my colleague Miriam Jordan, who covered the story at the border and across the US.

German Lopez: Who are the migrants caught up in all this?

Miriam Jordan: They are mostly Venezuelans, coming to the US to find work and send money back home. Venezuela is a broken country where political dissent is suppressed and the economy is Collapsed. Lack of food, medicine and other staples.

The migrants I spoke to became poor after living in those conditions. Many were once a solid middle class. If they have a job or a small business, they earn very little and their savings are exhausted. So they decided to leave, however they could.

Today, one in five Venezuelans live outside of their homeland.

I am one of those five. My whole family has been out of Venezuela for the past three decades. But not everyone is lucky enough to have the money or legal means to do so.

Right. Millions of these migrants first went to neighboring countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Chile and Peru. But because of the economies of those countries start stuttering, they say they can no longer earn much to send home. They heard that the United States is allowing Venezuelans to the border to stay in the country, and jobs are plentiful.

So these migrants are basically willing to risk their lives to come to the US. They made their way through the lawless jungle out of Venezuela and through seven countries to finally reach the United States in despair, out of their desire to earn a living and support their families.

What happens when they come to America?

As they crossed the Rio Grande to Texas, they turn themselves in to the Border Patrol and often seek asylum. They will then declare in court that they need asylum because the Maduro regime retaliates against those who do not support his party. It’s been an uphill battle, but their cases take years to go to trial, and in the meantime, they can stay in the United States.

Back at the border: After they have been processed, the Border Patrol releases them – for example, at a church in a border town, such as Eagle Pass, Texas. There, they are offered two options: They can buy bus tickets to San Antonio and beyond. If they don’t have the money, they are encouraged to board a free bus to Washington, DC, New York or Chicago.

The free service is provided by Abbott, who is trying to show that he is keeping the border under control and transferring responsibility for this influx of migrants to Democratic cities and states.

What would migrants do if they took that free ride?

Ironically, it benefits many migrants.

Example: I met a Venezuelan immigrant named Lever Alejos. He used up all his savings to make a trip from Venezuela to the US. He took one of the buses to Washington, DC, where he found a bed in a shelter. In a few weeks, he not only found a job; he started sending money back to Venezuela to support his 7 year old son. He said his son’s life is 100% better. He has also saved up to buy a cell phone and plans to buy a used 2012 Honda Civic.

Would this backfire for Abbott, if the migrants are doing well and they fill the economic need for Democratic areas?

In the end, it’s about optics. It’s partly about securing support from his right-wing base. They support the crackdown on illegal immigration; punish those who, in their view, did not come to America properly; and put the burden on helping migrants in Democratic cities and states.

Perhaps he is also trying to attract more independent companies. In Texas, some polls displayed that more than half of voters agree with Abbott’s policies, and that immigration is a bigger concern than abortion for many. And stunts are costing Democratic cities and states in the short term; they must provide shelter and other services to migrants.

What is the problem these Republican governors are trying to expose?

President Biden took office promising a more humane approach to the southern border than Donald Trump, who was willing to take extreme measures, such as separating families, to keep people out. America.

Abbott announced plans for the bus in response to the Biden administration’s intention to end Title 42, a Trump pandemic policy that requires border agents to immediately deport people who have entered illegally. return to Mexico or their homeland. That policy actually remained, because a court sided with Texas and other states that sued to prevent Biden from ending it.

However, large numbers of Venezuelans have begun to show up at the border. Mexico will not accept people from faraway countries, like Venezuela. And because the US has no diplomatic relations with Venezuela, it also cannot fly deportation planes with migrants returning there. As a result, they were left behind in the United States.

Miriam Jordan is The Times’ national correspondent on immigration. She grew up in Brazil and the US, speaking English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Hebrew. She has also worked at Reuters and The Wall Street Journal.


Sunday Question: Is the pandemic “over” as Biden said last week?

Covid continues to spread and hundreds of people are dying daily, and Biden’s comment could offend Americans Dr. Eric Topol writes in The East Bay Times. Washington Post’s Dr Leana Wen thinks Biden rightly notes that the virus has mutated from an emergency that disrupts daily life. become an endemic disease.



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