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Bus by Bus, Texas’ Governor Changed Migration Across the U.S.

In two years, Texas has bused more than 119,000 people to Democrat-led cities, shifting both migration patterns and the debate over immigration. The list of cities keeps expanding.

A bus from Texas with migrants arrives in Denver last month.Credit...Rachel Woolf for The New York Times

Bus by Bus, Texas’ Governor Changed Migration Across the U.S.

In two years, Texas has bused more than 119,000 people to Democrat-led cities, shifting both migration patterns and the debate over immigration. The list of cities keeps expanding.

By J. David GoodmanKeith CollinsEdgar Sandoval and Jeremy White

Reporting from Denver, Houston, New York, San Antonio and Eagle Pass, Texas.

Leer en español

The autumn of 2021 delivered a shock to the state of Texas. More than 9,000 migrants crossed the border on a September day into the town of Del Rio and huddled in a tent camp under a bridge. Thousands more came later that week from countries all over the world, challenging the town’s ability to handle them.

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The following spring, Texas opened a new frontier of its own. On April 13, a bus pulled into Union Station in Washington, D.C., carrying 24 migrants who had been offered a free ride from Del Rio, chartered by the state’s Division of Emergency Management. More buses arrived in the capital over the next several days.

Washington’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, suggested that many of the migrants had been “tricked” into riding the buses by the Texas governor, Greg Abbott. The White House called it a “political stunt.”

Washington, D.C.
Los Angeles
Philadelphia
New York
Chicago
Denver

For a time, as the first buses were arriving in Washington, D.C., it looked to all be for show.

For a time, as the first buses were arriving in Washington, D.C., it looked to all be for show.

But Mr. Abbott’s administration kept offering free tickets to destitute migrants. Each migrant is represented here by one dot.

But Mr. Abbott’s administration kept offering free tickets to destitute migrants. Each migrant is represented here by one dot.

Soon, buses began arriving in New York and Chicago.

Soon, buses began arriving in New York and Chicago.

Then Philadelphia.

Then Philadelphia.

The program paused in early 2023 during a lull in crossings, officials said, but it soon resumed. And grew.

The program paused in early 2023 during a lull in crossings, officials said, but it soon resumed. And grew.

Buses began arriving in Denver, and would eventually have a more pronounced impact there than perhaps any other city.

Buses began arriving in Denver, and would eventually have a more pronounced impact there than perhaps any other city.

The destinations were cities run by Democrats who supported the Biden administration’s more open immigration policy.

The destinations were cities run by Democrats who supported the Biden administration’s more open immigration policy.

Soon, some neighborhoods in those cities started looking like Texas border towns.

Soon, some neighborhoods in those cities started looking like Texas border towns.

Shelters filled up. Then hotels rented by city officials to house the newcomers were overflowing.

Shelters filled up. Then hotels rented by city officials to house the newcomers were overflowing.

As migrants heard about free housing and free buses, more came.

As migrants heard about free housing and free buses, more came.

Texas
Apr 11, 2022

In the two years since Mr. Abbott dispatched the first buses from Texas, the busing program has turned into a significant part of the country’s transportation infrastructure for migrants.

The impact of busing on cities

During the first two years of the busing program, about 684,000 migrants told border officials they planned to live in the cities below, based on their immigration court assignments. That’s far more than the number of people who were bused, but the program’s impact varied across the cities.

Sources: Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University (hearing locations); Texas Division of Emergency Management (busing figures)

Note: Not all migrants end up in the cities where their hearings are set, and people who were bused to a given city did not necessarily have hearings scheduled there.

Bus by Bus, Texas’ Governor Changed Migration Across the U.S. - The New York Times

Mostly Venezuelans

Most of the people bused in the first two years of the program were from Venezuela. In some cities, the number of Venezuelans bused by Texas was nearly as large as the overall number who indicated they planned to travel there, based on where their immigration cases were scheduled.

Sources: Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University (hearing locations); Texas Division of Emergency Management (busing figures)

Note: Not all migrants end up in the cities where their hearings are set, and people who were bused to a given city did not necessarily have hearings scheduled there.

Bus by Bus, Texas’ Governor Changed Migration Across the U.S. - The New York Times

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A correction was made on 
July 20, 2024
: 

An earlier version of this article misspelled the last name of Denver’s mayor. He is Mike Johnston, not Johnson.

When we learn of a mistake, we acknowledge it with a correction. If you spot an error, please let us know at nytnews@nytimes.com.Learn more

J. David Goodman is the Houston bureau chief for The Times, reporting on Texas and Oklahoma. More about J. David Goodman

Keith Collins is a Times visual reporter and editor in the Graphics department. More about Keith Collins

Edgar Sandoval covers Texas for The Times, with a focus on the Latino community and the border with Mexico. He is based in San Antonio. More about Edgar Sandoval

Jeremy White is a graphics editor based in New York. He joined The Times in 2011 after spending 15 years designing visual projects for clients in the U.S. and Europe. More about Jeremy White

A version of this article appears in print on July 24, 2024, Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Bus After Bus, Texas Changed U.S. Migration. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
See more on: Greg Abbott, Democratic Party, Republican Party

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