Abbott's Migrant Busing Stunt Cost TX Taxpayers Approx $150 Million

[riversedge]

Source: crooksandliars.com






Two years after Gov. Abbott claimed private donors would pay the tab to bus migrants to sanctuary cities, donations amounted to 1% of the cost.
Abbott’s Migrant Busing Stunt Cost TX Taxpayers Approx $150 Million Credit: Crooks and Liars screenshot

By News Hound Ellen — March 16, 2024

A CNN investigation found that “at most, around $550,000 has been raised to date” from private coffers. That leaves Texas taxpayers on the hook for 99% of the $150 million expense for busing migrants around the country. Abbott's MAGA stunt has bused them to Democratic cities such as New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Denver.

Oddly, the state website tallying the donations originally stated they had reached more than $1.3 million, CNN reported, but that amount was adjusted in December to $460,196. CNN found that a donation for $900,000 mysteriously disappeared from the tally. The news organization also found other false donations:

CNN also spoke with another donor listed in the data who confirmed he did not make the $2,000 donation listed under his name. Yet another donor showed reporters a letter he said he received from the state after complaining that his $1,000 donation to the state border wall fund had been instead allocated to the busing efforts.

That means that taxpayers have paid close to $150 million to “own the libs,” or about $1,500 per bused migrant, CNN estimated. If right-wing donors don’t want to cough up the money, I’d love to see a poll showing how everyday Texans feel about being stuck with the bills.

It’s not just an expensive stunt for Texas taxpayers but a dangerous and potentially lethal one for the supposedly pro-life state.

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Read more: https://crooksandliars.com/2024/03/abbott-s-migrant-busing-stunt-cost-tx

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Seems like Texas needs a certified bookkeeper--that is NOT connected to the Abbott Administration!!

Link to tweet

?s=20

[surfered]

1. Political stunt should be his middle name.

It’s all he knows how to do. Always playing to the extreme right to stop any primary challenge.

[Novara]

2. Those taxpayers should sue him for malfeasance.

[SARose]

24. They love it

Republican taxpayers luv Abbott. They luv him going after those rapists, crooks and other names too despicable to write. Most of these loons don’t realize Greggy boy used unspent Covid funds to pay for his photo op. They love it. Can’t fix stupid.

[bigworld]

3. This sounds like a massive invitation for cronyism

$150 million? To bus how many migrants?

And there's $55 million in the state wall fund?

[Marcuse]

4. What about the human trafficking charges?

[link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/15/desantis-abbott-migrants-legality/|

[NanaCat]

7. As per the US legal definition

It's not human trafficking. It lacks the labor exploitation of the transported people to qualify.

I agree that, morally, it smacks of trafficking, but legally, it's not. Alas, I don't see this feckless Congress passing legislation for the moral and legal to match up.

[Mr.Bill]

5. I feel badly for the good people in Texas.

And there are a lot of them. I hope I live long enough to see Texas turn blue again.

[Paladin]

28. Thank you for acknowledging that there are "good people in Texas."

As you can see from other comments on this post, that fact is lost on other DUers.

[Seinan Sensei]

30. Agreed

[NanaCat]

6. Their math is wrong

One percent of private funds would have been 1.5 million.

550K = 0.36%

Nowhere near 1%. It's better to say that private donations have been a pittance and not even worthy of comment.

A boondoggle, if ever there were one.

[SergeStorms]

16. Maybe they included....

the "phantom" donations that disappeared.
Donald and Rudy decided they were going to need that money for "other things." 😉

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Like Bannon's "We Build the Wall" fraud

that he has a trial coming up for on May 28, this thing that Abbott did should also be considered fraud.

[Bengus81]

22. Can't wait for that one. I want to see that POS in a orange jumpsuit..n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

23. It'll be a LOOOOONNNNNGGGGG time coming!

And his is a state charge so can't be federally pardoned.

[3Hotdogs]

9. Yeah, but didn't it stick it to the lib'tards?

Money, well spent.



























Yes, Sidney, it's sarcasm.

[Archae]

10. What has Abbott himself have to say about this?

Even money, "No comment."

[Red Mountain]

11. Word must have gotten out

that if you can get over the border Texas will give you a free trip wherever you want to go!

He's pulling them in.

[sop]

27. Abbott reportedly "bussed" about 100,000 migrants to other states; that comes to $1,500 per migrant.

Greyhound and Trailways aren't that expensive.

[PurgedVoter]

12. Why should Texas pay this bill?

Abbot should be 100% responsible. He created the debt. It was his campaign monstrosity. He should have to pay the bill. I honestly want to see the authorization for these expenses and actions and see where he is allowed to pull such stunts. I am pretty sure Anne Richards would have been ran out of Texas for pulling a stunt like this, but then, she wouldn't have.

[SARose]

25. Unspent Covid funds

Remember those funds that were to go to mom and pop stores, beauty shops, landlords? Well Abbott never authorized some of those funds be spent. Funny how some state and federal employees consider taxpayer funds their own.

[dchill]

13. Those must have been some Clarence Thomas-level buses!

[republianmushroom]

14. Hope those Texans enjoy Abbott

[LiberalFighter]

15. Government is not the problem.

Republicans are the problem.

It doesn't take much for Republicans to screw it up. And Governor Abbott makes it look easy.

I posted this to my FB account.

[MichMan]

17. NYC sues 17 charter bus companies for $700 million over transporting asylum seekers to the city from Texas

1/5/2024

After attempting to pump the brakes on “rogue buses” from Texas dropping off migrants by the thousands, the mayor of New York City has filed a lawsuit against a dozen charter bus companies that transported migrants from Texas to New York City.

The lawsuit, which names 17 charter bus companies from Texas, Louisiana, Ohio and Indiana, was filed in New York Supreme Court on Wednesday and is seeking $708 million in damages to cover the care provided for at least 33,600 asylum seekers who have arrived in the city since 2022

[link:https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/05/us/migrant-crisis-new-york-bus-company-lawsuit/index.html|


If Texas spent $150 million on busing them to cities like NYC, Chicago DC, and Denver among others, yet it cost NYC alone $700 million in costs for housing, feeding and caring for them, it seems like it might have been a very good deal for Texas taxpayers.

Chicago said they have spent $300 million.

In the past nearly year-and-a-half, Chicago has spent nearly $300 million responding to the ongoing migrant crisis, according to the city's latest numbers.

That number does not include the cost incurred by other agencies like Chicago Public Schools, the Department of Streets and Sanitation, or Cook County Health.

About $206 million of the total has gone to Favorite Healthcare Staffing to operate the city-run shelters. The group has come under scrutiny by some aldermen who have said the city was paying them too much.

There are currently more than 11,000 migrants in 23 shelters in Chicago, and four more buses of migrants were expected to arrive in the city on Friday.

[link:https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-migrant-crises-300-million/|

[NanaCat]

18. You're rather conveniently forgetting

That the Federal government--not Texas--pays for the care of migrants entering the country. New York and Chicago are not receiving compensation from the federal government for it.

So much for that argument.

[MichMan]

19. Incorrect

Last edited Sun Mar 17, 2024, 01:50 AM - Edit history (6)

Texas does not get fully compensated or anything close to it. They, like other states, get a small portion of the costs

According to Mayor Adams, NYC spent $700 million on caring for 33,600 migrants bused from Texas. That equates to $20,000 each. I assume that those numbers are factual, and Mayor Adams didn't just make them up out of thin air.

Since Texas on many days receives 8000 or more, does that means the government would owe Texas $166 million per day or $60 billion a year? I haven't any data supporting reimbursement anywhere near those numbers

In fact, according to DHS in Aug 2023, all states combined got a total of $770 million, Yet, NYC alone said they spent nearly that much caring for 33,600 (approx the number entering Texas every 4 or 5 days)

Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), announced more than $77 million in grants to support border and interior communities receiving migrants through the Shelter and Services Program (SSP). The funding will be available to 53 grant recipients for temporary shelter and other eligible costs associated with migrants awaiting the outcome of their immigration proceedings. Today’s announcement builds on the more than $290 million announced through SSP in June, which brings the total funding allocated to more than $770 million. Overall, 69 entities, in both Southwest Border and interior communities, have received funding this year through SSP and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program – Humanitarian Awards (EFSP-H).

[link:https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/08/21/dhs-announces-distribution-more-77-million-congressional-funding-communities|

The claim that Texas gets fully compensated for their costs of caring for immigrants crossing the Southern border, does not appear to be anywhere close to being accurate.

[MichMan]

20. "New York and Chicago are not receiving compensation from the federal government for it."

NYC finally unlocks nearly $107M in federal migrant aid after months of paperwork delays

President Biden’s administration has approved the release of nearly $107 million in migrant aid for New York City in response to Mayor Adams’ office finally submitting the required paperwork last week after months of application delays, local and federal officials told the Daily News on Thursday.

The aid — which has sat untouched since Congress first allocated it last summer — is at long last being authorized for disbursement to the city after the Adams administration provided the feds last Friday with required budgetary documentation as well as a waiver asking the feds to relax a cap on how much of the money can be used on hotel costs, White House and City Hall officials confirmed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which administers the program that includes the outstanding aid for the city, formally approved the waiver Friday afternoon, clearing the way for the city to receive the full pot of $106.8 million, White House officials said.

[link:https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/14/nyc-finally-unlocks-rest-of-over-100m-in-federal-migrant-aid-after-months-of-paperwork-delays/|

So much for that argument

[aggiesal]

21. They had a $32B, Yes B, surplus this past year...

so $150M is drop in the bucket to them.

[bucolic_frolic]

26. Private donors will never pay for chicanery they can get the government to pay for

especially if it is chicanery already accomplished. Mexico is not paying for the wall either.

[Wonder Why]

29. On the other hand, his cronies probably got the contract.