Three-Year-Old Girl Dies on Migrant Bus From Texas to Chicago

Updated August 15, 2023, 9:35 a.m. PST

• A three-year-old girl from Venezuela has died while aboard a controversial migrant bus from Texas to Chicago.
• The child’s death is the first reported since Republican Governor Greg Abbott began busing thousands of asylum seekers to Democrat-led cities last year in a program criticized by human rights groups.
• The Texas Division of Emergency Management said that the bus pulled over and 911 was called when the little girl began showing worrying health symptoms. The agency confirmed that passengers had their temperature taken and were asked whether they had any medical conditions before boarding.
• The girl's parents are currently in Indiana with their family, receiving assistance from the Champaign Urbana Immigration Forum.
• Ricardo Diaz, from the Champaign Urbana Immigration Forum, said:

“There’s just an empathy part because the parents I mean they're from Venezuela, they crossed, well literally, you know, ocean, mountains rivers, all for their children and that's just really, really sad to have gotten so far. And then is it worthless? It’s worse because you can’t feel that what you did was worth it." 

• Chicago's Mayor Lori Lightfoot has previously condemned Abbott's policy, calling it “inhumane” and “dangerous.”

Updated June 21, 2023

• In the latest example of a GOP strategy to bring the border crisis to Democrat-led cities, Texas' Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has sent a busload of 40 migrants to Los Angeles.
• The group of migrants arrived at Union Station, after which a human rights organization took them to a nearby church.
• Abbott tweeted that it was the "1st bus," insinuating that more would follow. He blamed the Biden administration, saying:

"Small Texas border towns remain overrun & overwhelmed because Biden refuses to secure the border."

• Last year, Abbott sent thousands of migrants north to cities like Chicago, New York City, and Philadelphia, a move human rights activists deemed cruel and exploitative.
• L.A.'s Mayor Karen Bass said:

"It is abhorrent that an American elected official is using human beings as pawns in his cheap political games."

• Bass continued, emphasizing her city's response:

"This did not catch us off guard, nor will it intimidate us. Now, it's time to execute our plan. Our emergency management, police, fire and other departments were able to find out about the incoming arrival while the bus was on its way and were already mobilized along with non-profit partners before the bus arrived."

Updated June 5, 2023

• In an ongoing tactic being used by GOP-led states like Florida and Texas, buses and planes are being chartered to relocate migrants to Democrat-led states like New York, California, and Massachusetts.
• California's attorney general, Rob Bonta, is investigating the most recent occurrence of 16 Colombian and Venezuelan migrants discovered at the Roman Catholic Church diocese's headquarters in the state capital, Sacramento.
• Bonta says that the migrants had documentation that appeared to have been issued by Florida.

The migrants' journey

• It appears that the migrants entered through Texas, where they were given asylum hearing dates.
• They were then approached outside a migrant center in El Paso and offered help with job searches and resettlement. The migrants were misled, according to Bonta, and were transported to New Mexico and then on to California.
• Their documentation suggests that they were transported through a program run by Florida's Division of Emergency Management in partnership with a private contractor, Vertol Systems Co.
• Florida paid the same contractor $1.56 million last year to fly migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, which sparked outrage among migrant rights activists.
• Bonta said:

"While we continue to collect evidence, I want to say this very clearly: State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting."  

• Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said:

"Whoever is behind this must answer the following: Is there anything more cruel than using scared human beings to score cheap political points?"

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that he met with the migrants and that they are being "treated with respect and dignity."

What’s the story? 

• Florida's Gov. DeSantis sent 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, MA, by plane to push the responsibility for the group onto Massachusetts state authorities. Sen. Julian Cyr (D-MA) told the New York Times that the migrants arrived in two planes around 3 p.m. local time. The representative took to Twitter, saying they arrived on a charter flight from Texas and are mostly from Venezuela. 
• Fox News published a video of the migrants deplaning: 

• DeSantis’ communication director, Taryn Fenske, told Fox News:

“Yes, Florida can confirm the two planes with illegal immigrants that arrived in Martha’s Vineyard today were part of the state’s relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.” 

• Rep. Dylan Fernandes (D-MA) tweeted that the community rallied resources to help the migrants, and were able to provide housing in a local church. 

• Migrants who were transported to Martha's Vineyard, a popular exclusive vacation destination for the rich and powerful, were provided relief services and short-term shelter from local community organizations.

What they're saying

• Cyr deeply criticized the decision, telling the Martha’s Vineyard Times that the act was a cruel political stunt with “fundamentally racist tactics.” He said: 

“This is deeply disgusting. This is a cruel ruse that manipulates families that are seeking a better life…Our community has been targeted, clearly.”

• The Republican leaders who are sending migrants elsewhere, like Gov. DeSantis and Gov. Abbott of Texas, have said that President Biden’s policies are causing a rise in unauthorized migration, and Democratic-led areas should bear the burden. 
• Fenske said in a statement: 

“States like Massachusetts, New York, and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and support for the Biden administration’s open border policies.”

• A spokesperson for DeSantis, Christina Pushaw, used the situation against liberals, tweeting: 

• One of the migrants who landed in Martha’s Vineyard, known as Leonel, said that he had never seen anything like the generosity from the people of Martha’s Vineyard. He said: 

“I haven’t slept well in three months. It’s been three months since I put on a new pair of pants. Or shoes.”

The big picture

• The move is not unique — in recent weeks, Republican state officials have sent thousands of migrants unannounced to Democrat-led regions, including New York, Washington, D.C, and Chicago.
• On Wednesday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker released a disaster proclamation after 500 migrants arrived in Chicago on buses from Texas, citing the need for emergency shelter and medical care. He stated:

“While other states may be treating these vulnerable families as pawns, here in Illinois, we are treating them as people."

• Illegal migration has increased significantly during the Biden administration, with Southern Republican states criticizing federal border security policies. Gov. DeSantis stated:

“We are not a sanctuary state, and it’s better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction, and yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures...Every community in America should be sharing in the burdens. It shouldn’t all fall on a handful of red states.”

What do you think of DeSantis's decision to move migrants to other states?

-Jamie Epstein, Casey Dawson, & Emma Kansiz

(Photo credit: Facebook/Curt Autry NBC12)