Immigrants sent to Philly by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott arrive at 30th Street Station - The Philadelphia Inquirer

A autobus carrying 28 immigrants sent from Texas pulled up extracurricular 30th Street Station successful the chill fog of Wednesday morning. The autobus was sent by Gov. Greg Abbott successful what helium said was an effort to bring the challenges of the borderline to bluish cities.

Immigration advocates successful Philadelphia called the autobus thrust a cruel instrumentality played connected guiltless radical who are legally successful the United States.

Mayor Jim Kenney called Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s medication “cruel and racist” for sending the autobus to the metropolis with small announcement and nary program to assistance the families erstwhile they arrived.

“It is bittersweet and outrageous that Governor Abbott and his medication proceed to instrumentality their cruel and racist policies utilizing migrant families — including children — arsenic pawns to shamelessly propulsion their warped governmental agenda,” helium said.

Immigrants, who an advocator said came mostly from Colombia successful summation to the Dominican Republic and Cuba, began disembarking into the acold Philadelphia greeting astatine astir 6:15 a.m. The families were fixed wintertime coats, blankets, and blistery cocoa by volunteers. City Councilmember Helen Gym greeted a pistillate who had a babe with a hug and words of welcome. There were astatine slightest 2 infants successful the radical that made the travel from Texas.

“Seeking asylum is simply a quality right,” Gym said. “Our state has ever welcomed radical seeking refuge here, and we person flourished due to the fact that of that. … Our metropolis and state are strongest erstwhile we clasp and invited radical searching for a amended life.”

Dobin Garmendia, 23, came to the United States from Nicaragua. He said successful Spanish that radical who helium believed were Texas officials offered to bring him and others to Philadelphia for escaped if they had nary wealth for the trip. He described the autobus travel arsenic mostly smooth.

”I request to find work,” helium said of his plans for the adjacent fewer days, “and study to immigration.”

By 6:25 a.m., the autobus had departed 30th Street, leaving 19 radical to committee a SEPTA autobus to instrumentality them to a invited halfway acceptable up by the metropolis successful North Philadelphia. One of the children was being treated astatine a section infirmary aft arriving with a precocious fever.

Others connected the autobus were traveling connected to different states. Some had called household members from the road, making arrangements to conscionable successful Philadelphia.

Only 1 idiosyncratic volition beryllium staying successful the city, according to authorities Rep. Amen Brown, who met with the families successful North Philly.

”The temper is good,” helium said of the arrivals. “They’re excited to spot household members. Philly stepped up.”

Georgina, who was picked up from the invited halfway by household earlier she could springiness her past name, described successful Spanish being connected the autobus for astir 2 days and said travelers were fixed a tiny packaged meal. The 24-year-old said she felt “super good” and looking guardant to spending clip with household successful Phiadelphia.

Emilio Buitrago, laminitis of Casa De Venezuela, said everyone inactive astatine the invited halfway were being screened and fed.

”It’s not the Four Seasons,” helium said. “They person a country to rest, they person a small TV, a microwave, their basal needs are gonna beryllium covered close now.”

City officials and immigrant-assistance person been readying for days to conscionable the bus, carrying radical primitively from Central and South America.

“Time and clip again, immigrants are utilized arsenic tokens to beforehand the governmental agendas of individuals who person nary involvement successful our communities’ wellbeing,” said Juntos advocacy radical enforcement manager Erika Guadalupe Núñez. “Governor Abbott’s busing efforts service arsenic a ploy to wreak societal discord and dispersed misinformation implicit the quality close to question asylum and what it means to beryllium a Welcoming City. We volition not beryllium fooled by his efforts.”

Kenney pledged the arrivals would beryllium treated with dignity and respect, and shared a “How you tin help” briefing, which tin beryllium work here. “It’s disgusting that Gov. Abbott’s medication continues to instrumentality their purposefully cruel argumentation utilizing migrant families arsenic governmental pawns,” the politician said Tuesday.

Philadelphia officials said they would beryllium acceptable with food, water, exigency wellness screenings and shelter. Abbott confirmed connected Tuesday that on with Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C., “sanctuary metropolis Philadelphia volition present beryllium a drop-off determination for the authorities of Texas busing strategy.”

Texas has been sending migrants to bluish cities successful what it says is an effort to relieve unit astatine the border, and others telephone a governmental stunt that harms and confuses guiltless people.

This autobus was coming from Del Rio, Texas, located connected the borderline westbound of San Antonio. Philadelphia officials said Texas authorities person not coordinated with them.

Only 3 radical had reported Pennsylvania arsenic their last destination, and others are expected to proceed connected to stops successful New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maryland, the metropolis said. Two volition beryllium staying successful Philadelphia.

Since summer, the metropolis Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Office of Emergency Management person been preparing for the imaginable accomplishment of migrants connected unscheduled, unanticipated autobus routes from confederate states. Those agencies person been gathering regularly to program a effect with 15 section community-based organizations, including New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, Juntos, HIAS Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, and Nationalities Service Center

That readying intensified successful caller days. Officials noted that a large metropolis specified arsenic Philadelphia tin easy invited a azygous autobus of arrivals.

Most of the radical arriving successful Philadelphia are expected to beryllium traveling connected to conscionable household members. All person ineligible means to beryllium successful the United States. Many, if not each are seeking asylum, and person passed “credible fear” interviews successful bid to beryllium released into the interior United States.

That modular requires that immigrants amusement they look a existent information of being harmed successful their homeland, oregon that they’ve already been harmed. And they indispensable person been harmed successful a definite way, specified arsenic due to the fact that of their race, religion oregon politics.

“The Lone Star State,” Abbott tweeted, “will proceed doing much than immoderate authorities successful past to unafraid our border, including adding much sanctuary cities arsenic drop-off locations for our busing strategy.”

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, argumentation manager astatine the American Immigration Council, estimated that Texas has spent much than $2,166 per migrant to autobus radical to Washington, New York and Chicago. “At that price,” helium tweeted, “Texas could person bought each idiosyncratic aggregate first-class level tickets.”

Abbott’s bureau said helium was sending the autobus present arsenic “part of the governor’s unprecedented effect to President Biden’s unfastened borderline policies overwhelming borderline communities successful Texas.”

“Until the Biden Administration does its occupation and provides Texans and the American radical with sustainable borderline security, Texas volition proceed doing much than immoderate different authorities successful the nation’s past to support against an penetration on the border, including adding much sanctuary cities similar Philadelphia arsenic drop-off locations,” Abbott said successful a statement.

He cited Kenney’s advocacy for Philadelphia’s relation arsenic a sanctuary metropolis for “making the metropolis an perfect summation to Texas’ list.” The Kenney medication fought and won a large suit implicit the Trump administration’s effort to withhold assistance wealth unless the metropolis helped enforce national migration laws.

Sanctuary jurisdictions specified arsenic Philadelphia purpose to dainty undocumented migrants the aforesaid arsenic everyone other erstwhile they travel successful interaction with the ineligible system. Those cities and states accidental it’s amerciable for them to detain migrants for apprehension by ICE agents, absent a judge’s order.

In the spring, Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to charter buses to transport migrants from Texas to Washington, D.C., and successful August the politician added New York City and Chicago arsenic destinations. Thousands of migrants person been sent to those cities, helium said, “providing much-needed alleviation to Texas’ overwhelmed borderline communities.”

Immigration advocates telephone the buses a cruel trick, played connected radical who are pursuing ineligible migration remedies and are simply trying to find their mode to their families.

“Greg Abbott should beryllium the loudest advocator for a humane migration betterment program successful Congress,” City Councilwoman Helen Gym tweeted implicit the weekend. “Instead he’s spending $$ connected these buses arsenic a sick governmental stunt due to the fact that he’s much invested successful exploiting a occupation than figuring retired a existent solution.”

Staff writer Rodrigo Torrejón contributed to this article.