In late August 2022, Governor Greg Abbott (R) began sending busloads of immigrants seeking asylum in Texas to Washington D.C. and New York. What’s the purpose of this move and how is it affecting migrants coming to America? Here’s what to know and how an experienced Texas immigration attorney can help if you or a loved one have been impacted by Abbott’s decision.
Abbott Uses People to Prove a Point
Governor Abbott has issued a statement about the matter, saying, “Before we began bussing migrants to New York, it was just Texas and Arizona that bore the brunt of all the chaos and problems that come with it,” he said. “Now, the rest of America can understand exactly what is going on.”
Because of its proximity to the southern border, Texas receives the largest share of the country’s immigrants, along with Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. What Abbott has essentially done is shipped thousands of migrants to New York and Washington D.C. not only to get them off his administration’s hands but also to prove a point.
Displaced people seeking asylum are often shuffled off to homeless shelters in the city as they await processing. Because of the large influx of immigrants to places not well prepared for them, there is a significant backlog for asylum applications as a result of Abbott’s decision. Migrants are spending months waiting for processing and are at risk of deportation the entire time.
How a Texas Immigration Lawyer Can Help
Bureaucracy is painfully slow, especially when lawmakers make political moves with real people who are significantly impacted by those decisions. Agencies often take advantage of migrants with language barriers, giving confusing directions on difficult application and filing processes with the goal of cutting back immigration to the U.S. via “legitimate” denial of applications with errors.
When you work with an attorney, you have someone on your side who can help you communicate with immigration officials and double-check your application to be sure it’s filed correctly and without mistakes. They can advocate for you and put pressure on agencies to push your application through in a timely fashion.
Houston immigration attorney Eluid Zavala has the experience and skills to provide you and your family with legal representation if you were seeking asylum in Texas and were sent somewhere else. Call now for a consultation at (713) 766-6720 (Houston) or (713) 588-2132 (Greenspoint Park).