A migrant bus chartered by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott from the US border arrived in Philadelphia on Wednesday — but its passengers immediately began to leave the city.
Despite much fanfare, the bus from Del Rio was carrying only 28 people when it arrived after dropping off three of its original 31 passengers at an undisclosed location along the route.
Among the asylum seekers who arrived was a sick child who immediately had to be hospitalized after the bus arrived around 6 a.m. in 45 degree weather.
The city did not release her medical condition, they said they were “deeply frustrated by the way this was done,” by Texas.
Four other children were with their families on the bus. The rest were adults from countries like Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Panama, an incredibly small sample of over 200,000 people who attempt to cross border into the US each month.
The bus from Del Rio, Texas arrived in Philadelphia around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning with 28 immigrants on board. REUTERS
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney slammed Texas Governor Greg Abbott, saying he was “playing with people’s lives.” REUTERSBy midday on Wednesday, seven of the immigrants had already been picked up by family members and friends and moved to final destinations in cities like New York, Connecticut, Ohio and Maryland. However, the adults will also still have to attend court dates and check in with immigration officers.
The remaining migrants were taken to an immigrant welcome center which had been prepared until they could make travel arrangements to move on. Only two people were expected to stay in the City of Brotherly Love, city sources told The Post.
Statistics reviewed by The Post showed that of over 1.1 million migrants who were not immediately expelled from the country by border patrol in the 2022 financial year, around 30% flooded into big cities, but around half went to stay in smaller communities across the nation while they went through the asylum process — which can take years.
The first busload of immigrants expected from Texas arrived in Philadelphia on Wednesday morning. REUTERS
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been criticized for the migrant busses. ZUMAPRESS.comOfficials reminded Philly residents that the immigrants are not in the country illegally and have permission to travel within the US.
Authorities in the city were quick to slam Gov. Abbott for sending the busload without any official warning until the day before they arrived.
“Politicians, including the governor of Texas, talks ad nauseam about Christian values, but displays very little of any,” said Mayor Jim Kenney at a press conference Wednesday.
The immigrants were given coats, blankets and warm drinks upon arrival in Philly. REUTERSThe city has repeatedly said they have no communication or coordination with Texas Gov. Abbott’s office, who previously left local leaders in sanctuary cities in the dark, blindsiding them with buses of migrants earlier this year.
“I guess they’re having fun and they’re enjoying playing with people’s lives,” said Kenney.
Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment, but he has previously said: “Jim Kenney has long-celebrated and fought for sanctuary city status, making the city an ideal addition to Texas’ list of drop-off locations.”
Five children were among the group of 28 immigrants who were on the bus. City of PhiladelphiaThe bus is expected to be the first of many bringing immigrants to Philadelphia, although officials have no idea when the next bus will arrive.
City leaders said the first indication a bus was headed their way came from a Texas immigrant organization over the weekend.
Philadelphia is now the fourth city that Abbott has bussed migrants to. His office confirmed to The Post it had sent over 8,300 migrants to Washington, DC since April, over 3,700 migrants to New York City since Aug. 5 and more than 1,200 to Chicago since late August.
The migrants were taken to a welcome center set up by Philadelphia so they can make travel arrangements to move on to their final destinations. City of PhiladelphiaThe Texas governor has vowed to keep sending immigrants to cities to raise awareness of the migrant crisis in an attempt to encourage states which are not on the border to address the issue of migration.






