After a long journey, a group of migrants that arrived in Los Angeles are now getting some rest and are meeting with immigration lawyers. Darsha Philips reports for the NBC4 News on June 14, 2023.
Dozens of migrants, who arrived by bus in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday, were sent from Texas in a move the city's mayor called a “despicable stunt" for which the city had been preparing.
In a statement, Bass said the city had a plan in place, and that an emergency management team, police, fire and other agencies found out about the migrants' arrival as the bus was headed to Southern California.
“This did not catch us off guard, nor will it intimidate us," Bass said. "Now, it’s time to execute our plan.
"Shortly after I took office, I directed City Departments to begin planning in the event Los Angeles was on the receiving end of a despicable stunt that Republican Governors have grown so fond of."
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Forty-two people, including some children, were dropped off at Union Station around 4 p.m. and were being cared for by city agencies and charitable organizations, Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León’s office said. The migrants were receiving initial help at St. Anthony’s Croatian Catholic Church near downtown.
In a message posted on it Facebook page, the church said it is serving as a place to process the migrants, who will be picked up by family members or sponsors for transport to area shelters. The post said no one was sleeping in the parish center.
"This was a well organized operation by several emergency agencies and our facility was used ONLY as a temporany (sic) processing/humanitaran (sic) site," the church said in its post.
“They left yesterday and it was 23 hours on the bus and they did not have a chance to eat or to have water,” said Jorge Mario Cabrera of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, who spoke to several migrants. “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."
Many were from Latin American countries, including Honduras and Venezuela, and one person had an immigration appointment in New York, he said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the migrants were sent to Los Angeles because California had declared itself a “sanctuary” for immigrants, extending protections to people living in the country illegally and allowing them to apply for some state benefits.
“Our border communities are on the frontlines of President Biden’s border crisis, and Texas will continue providing this much-needed relief until he steps up to do his job and secure the border,” Abbott said in a statement.
Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew groups of migrants from border states to Sacramento, California, at taxpayer expense. Last fall, Florida flew 49 Venezuelans to the upscale Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard.
