Texas sends migrant bus number 14 to Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES - Another bus carrying migrants from Texas arrived in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sept. 19, just after 9 a.m. at Union Station, according to the LA mayor's office. This is the 14th bus to arrive in LA from Texas.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) confirmed that 40 asylum seekers from El Salvador and Venezuela were on the bus. This included 14 children across 12 families.

"We focus on people, not drama or politics," said CHIRLA in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Together, the city, county and nonprofits will continue to coordinate and support each other until our new neighbors feel they have an opportunity to start again."

More than 500 migrants from Texas have arrived in Los Angeles since June of this year, according to city officials.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began orchestrating these trips under "Operation Lone Star," a joint program between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department, after claiming that the Texas border region was "overwhelmed" by immigrants crossing the Mexican border. 

Abbott said the operation is intended to counter the influx of immigrants, illegal drug trade and human smuggling.

LA formally established itself as a sanctuary city in June of this year.

"Los Angeles is a major city that migrants seek to go to," said Gov. Abbott, "Our border communities are on the front lines of President Biden's border crisis, and Texas will continue providing this much-needed relief until he steps up to do his job and secure the border."

But LA Mayor Karen Bass said that Abbott's office does not provide her team with enough information about the migrant buses prior to their arrival, including arrival time, the number of migrants, or if they've been provided any food or water.

In a previous statement, Bass said that if Abbott's concerns and actions were legitimate and sincere, then "someone in the government and Texas would notify us and coordinate with us."

According to a statement that Abbott made on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Operation Lone Star" has resulted in over 33,000 migrants bused to "sanctuary cities."

Last month, the Los Angeles City Council approved a motion calling for the City Attorney's Office to investigate whether crimes were committed on or before June 14, when Abbott sent 42 migrants to LA in the first of the bus shipments.

City News Service contributed to this report.