Rantz: Did Texas Gov. Greg Abbott send illegal immigrants to Seattle?
Feb 13, 2024, 5:00 AM | Updated: 3:48 pm
This image, seen in December 2023, shows a series of tents lined the parking lot of Riverton Park United Methodist Church until the illegal immigrants staying in them were moved to a hotel in Kent. (Video capture courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Video capture courtesy of KIRO 7)
We know that illegal immigrants were sent to the Seattle area without resources, like housing, waiting for them. It created a state of emergency and humanitarian nightmare in Tukwila, epitomizing the crisis with President Joe Biden’s porous border. But how did the hundreds of illegal immigrants make it to the Puget Sound in the first place? Were they bussed to the area from Texas? The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH asked Governor Greg Abbott’s office.
“Texas is still only transporting migrants to (Washington, D.C.), (New York City), Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Denver,” an Abbott spokesperson told The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.
Is that the end of it? Not quite. A decision by Seattle promises to get Abbott’s attention.
Seattle is asking for attention on illegal immigrants
Migrants seeking asylum from countries like Angola, Congo and Venezuela set up what was essentially a homeless encampment at Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila. They were sent here from a shelter in San Antonio, Texas.
After King County allocated about $3 million to house them in a hotel temporarily, the problems added up because more migrants were attracted to the area.
A hotel in Kent hadn’t been paid. Up to 90 families, separate from the issue King County handled, faced immediate eviction and did what any “marginalized community” should do for help: exploit progressive voters’ guilt.
The city of Seattle is paying to house illegal immigrants in hotels in SeaTac. The migrants were not living in Seattle, but protested outside of city hall. They demanded housing because activists using them as human props knew they could squeeze dollars out of the city to virtue signal support for illegal immigrants.
It doesn’t matter that the city is in a deep deficit, forcing Mayor Bruce Harrell to freeze new hires. It’s the kind of decision that puts Seattle on the radar for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
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How many migrants crossed the border in 2023 and 2024?
In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. experienced a historic number of illegal migrant crossings at its borders. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered over 3.2 million illegal immigrants.
That marks a 16% increase from the previous fiscal year, marking the highest level of illegal immigration in U.S. history courtesy of Biden’s porous border. It was 63% higher than fiscal year 2021.
This has been intentional. There’s a Democrat effort to grant illegal immigrants voting rights. And with illegal immigrants counted in the census, states may earn more representation in Congress. But there’s been considerable short-term pain.
Cities like Denver, Chicago and New York City have become overwhelmed as crime increased. But cities such as Boston are also under siege, with one city councilor suggesting “everybody needs to start opening up their doors because this is a shared responsibility.” It may not be long before Seattle accepts its share of responsibility as a sanctuary city.
Listen to the Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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