Washington: More migrants were dropped off near Vice President Kamala Harris’ official residence at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. amid an ongoing feud over migrants being sent from the country’s southern border states to cities in the northeast.
Video clips on social media showed dozens of migrants getting off a bus near the US Naval Observatory on early Thursday morning, reports Xinhua news agency.
Many of the migrants reportedly came from Venezuela.
They were said to have been greeted by aid groups and transported in smaller buses to nearby accommodations.
Also on Thursday, two buses carrying migrants also from the southern border arrived in New York City.
Last month, two buses of migrants sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott were dropped off near the US Naval Observatory after being picked up in Eagle Pass.
A Republican, Abbott previously accused President Joe Biden and his deputy, Harris, of “ignoring and denying the historic crisis at our southern border”.
Also in September, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, another Republican, sent two planes of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, an island in Massachusetts.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey made a similar move and bused thousands of migrants to states and cities run by Democrats over the past few months.
Democrats have criticized Abbott and other Republican Governors over the relocation of migrants, saying that they are “playing politics with human beings, using them as props”.
In response, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had requested National Guard members be deployed to the city to assist with the arrival of migrants.
Bowser also declared a public emergency and created a new office to provide services for migrants being bused from border states such as Texas.
US federal agents have made about 1.82 million arrests at the country’s southern border so far this fiscal year, according to figures released by the Customs and Border Protection last month.
(IANS)
