Gov. Greg Abbott’s busing program forced Democrats to talk about the border. But a dramatic drop in the number of migrants has left the buses idle.
Despite the concerns of some Democratic leaders and city officials in Chicago, the state of Texas has not sent buses filled with migrants to the city this week during the Democratic National Convention.
In fact, no buses have been sent by Texas anywhere for nearly two months, according to state data obtained by The New York Times, and interviews with state and local officials in Texas. The last bus left the border near El Paso on June 27 carrying 50 migrants to New York.
The reason for the lack of buses, Texas officials said, was not that the program had been halted.
There have simply not been enough migrants to send.
The absence of buses began after the Biden administration issued an order in June that sharply limited the number of migrants released into the country after crossing the border illegally.
The order, which has been opposed by civil rights groups, cut down on the number of crossings and effectively eliminated what had been a potent political tool used by Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, to pressure Democratic city leaders into paying attention to the border.
Since the busing program began in 2022, Texas has transported more than 120,000 migrants to Democrat-led cities, including Chicago, New York, Washington and Denver. Shelters and city services were often overwhelmed, prompting Democratic officials to plead for federal assistance and leading some to temper their support for newly arrived migrants.