Texas sent a bus full of around 50 migrants to Philadelphia, mayor's office says
- Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney said roughly 50 migrants were bused to the city from Texas.
- The city has been preparing for the arrival of migrants since the summer, the mayor's office said.
Texas officials bused roughly 50 migrants from the southern US border to Philadelphia, the city's mayor said according to news reports.
The migrants are asylum seekers and are expected to arrive in the city on Monday, the mayor's office said according to CBS Philadelphia. The city said in a statement that Texas authorities had not notified them that they were sending the migrants to the city and they called their failure to alert them "disappointing and irresponsible."
Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney did not immediately return Insider's request for comment on Sunday.
Philadelphia has been preparing for the arrival of migrants since the summer as GOP-led states have routinely sent migrants to Democrat-led areas, the according to the mayor's office. The statement from the mayor's office says the city coordinated with "nearly 15 local community-based organizations and partners to plan a local response, including preparations for immediate reception and shelter space, emergency health screening, food, water, and more."
"The migrants will be greeted, literally welcomed by various organizations because our city is one that is waiting for them literally with open arms," Steven Barsamian, Esq., an immigration lawyer told WPVI.
Republican governors in border states have routinely sent migrants to various Democratic-led states and cities across the country to protest immigration policies.
In September, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew nearly 50 migrants from San Antonio, Texas to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. In October, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar verified that the nearly 50 migrants shipped to Martha's Vineyard had been the victim of a crime, an important step in their attorney's argument to get them visas, Insider previously reported.
Barsamian told WPVI that the migrants arriving in Philadelphia will have opportunities when they arrive.
"Philadelphia needs workers, and here's 52 of them coming in. They're not legal to work, they don't have employment authorization, but we're working on trying to figure out a way to get that for them quicker than the normal route," Barsamian told the station.