First group of undocumented immigrants arrives in LA from Texas by bus.

Texas Transports Group of Illegal Immigrants to Los Angeles

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) made a bold move on Wednesday, announcing that Texas has transported a group of illegal immigrants to Los Angeles for the first time. This action has sparked controversy and criticism, with L.A. Mayor Karen Bass calling it a “despicable stunt.”

“Texas just dropped off the 1st bus of migrants in Los Angeles,” Abbott wrote on Twitter.

About 40 illegal immigrants, including families with children, arrived in Los Angeles via bus on Wednesday afternoon. They were provided care and support services at St. Anthony’s Croatian Catholic Church near downtown, according to officials and service providers.

In a statement, Abbott reiterated his reasoning for the relocation, citing the overwhelming situation in Texas border towns due to President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.

“Los Angeles is a major city that migrants seek to go to, particularly now that its city leaders approved its self-declared sanctuary city status,” Abbott said.

One of the arrivals, a man from Honduras, has an immigration parole court date in New York, raising doubts about the appropriateness of bussing him to California, according to migrant advocate Jorge-Mario Cabrera.

Under Abbott’s direction, the Texas Division of Emergency Management has transported over 21,600 illegal immigrants from border towns to Democrat-led sanctuary cities, including Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and most recently, Denver, since April 2022. The leaders of these cities, who were unprepared for the influx, have criticized the strategy as racist and a political stunt.

LA Mayor Says City Prepared

Video footage shared by Fox News captures the arrival of the group of illegal immigrants, including families with young children, in Los Angeles. They were seen with luggage and soft toys, making a stop at Union Station before being taken to a welcoming center where they received assistance from city agencies and nonprofits, including food and legal services.

“They left yesterday and it was 23 hours on the bus,” said Cabrera, expressing concern about their well-being. “They are being fed; they’re taking shelters; they’re talking to attorneys. These are migrants that have been allowed by the U.S. to enter because they have credible fears. They have not yet received asylum.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to Cabrera for further comment.

Upon their arrival, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released a statement emphasizing the human aspect of this divisive political issue.

“This evening, more than 40 people were sent by the Governor of Texas to our City of Los Angeles. Shortly after I took office, I directed City Departments to begin planning for an event like this. This did not catch us off guard. We are now executing our plan,” she wrote on Twitter.

“Los Angeles is not a city motivated by hate or fear, and we absolutely will not be swayed or moved by petty politicians playing with human lives,” she continued. “For everything that we do, we will continue to lock arms and we will continue to lead—and we will always put people’s health and wellbeing over politics.”

This comes a week after a separate group was flown from Texas to Sacramento by Florida, which drew criticism from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), who called it inhumane. California Attorney General Rob Bonta characterized the actions as “state-sanctioned kidnapping” and accused Florida of exploiting vulnerable individuals.

Conservatives Highlight Sanctuary Cities

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has argued that sanctuary jurisdictions like California…