In a continuation of recent events, a second bus carrying migrants from a Texas border city arrived in downtown Los Angeles on July 1. This arrival follows a similar incident that took place less than three weeks ago, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by asylum seekers at the southern border.
The office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was not formally notified of the bus's arrival, but they became aware on June 30 of its dispatch from Brownsville, Texas, to L.A. Union Station, as per a statement by Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl.
"The City of Los Angeles believes in treating everyone with respect and dignity and will do so," Seidl emphasized.
The bus carrying 41 asylum-seekers, including eleven children, arrived around 12:40 p.m. They were greeted by a collective of faith-based and immigrant rights groups, who provided them with water, food, clothing, and initial legal immigration assistance. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights issued a statement noting that the asylum seekers hailed from various countries, including Cuba, Belize, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Jorge-Mario Cabrera, a spokesperson for the coalition, stated that this group's arrival appeared to be less stressful and chaotic compared to the previous one. Most of the asylum seekers were picked up by family members in the area and were provided with sandwiches and water, unlike the first group.
However, Los Angeles was not the final destination for six individuals who needed to fly to Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, and Oakland, Cabrera mentioned.
This recent event follows the arrival of a bus carrying 42 migrants from Texas on June 14. The majority of those migrants came from Latin American countries such as Honduras and Venezuela, but they were not provided with water or food during their journey.
Mayor Karen Bass spoke out against such treatment, asserting that the city of Los Angeles would not be swayed by "petty politicians playing with human lives."
Texas Governor Greg Abbott had previously stated that he sent the bus to Los Angeles in response to California's self-declared "sanctuary" status, which provides protections for individuals living in the country illegally. However, it remains unclear whether Governor Abbott was directly involved in the latest bus dispatch, as his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This incident follows a similar occurrence in June when the state of Florida transported three dozen migrants from Texas to California's capital, Sacramento, via a private jet. The surprise arrival caught local shelters and aid workers off guard.
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