In April 2022, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced his state was going to start transporting to other states migrants who had been released from federal custody. He said he was doing it to prevent the state from shouldering “the burdens imposed by open-border advocates in other parts of the country.” But the initiative has also come with a hefty price tag. As of Jan. 24, the state has spent over $148 million to bus migrants to predominantly Democratic cities.
Busing migrants to New York and other states
While the more-than-two-year-long operation has cost Texas taxpayers more than $148 million, the cities that housed most of these migrants are now facing serious financial difficulties. In a January post on X, Abbott announced that Texas has transported over 100,000 migrants to sanctuary cities to relieve overwhelmed border towns. Texas has been transporting most of the illegal immigrants to New York, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
Political benefits
Having to deal with thousands of migrants doesn’t only have financial implications; it also bothers other aspects of life. The local community in these sanctuary cities is already feeling the pressure in many aspects, including crime and safety, and the Democratic leaders might also pay a political price if something doesn’t change soon. And Trump, according to a recent statement, wants to win New York, a state Republicans have lost in every presidential election since 1984, in November.
Playing on the illegal immigrants card
After winning several key early-voting states in recent weeks, Trump got additional boost on Tuesday after winning all but one of the Super Tuesday states in grabbing the Republican nomination for president. During an interview on Fox & Friends on Tuesday, he shared to go after states in the November elections that are usually seen as leaning Democratic.
He mentioned targeting New York, a state that has traditionally supported Democrats but saw a slight move towards Republicans in the 2022 midterms, despite the party not doing well overall. The coming 2024 election will show if the Republican Party can keep the gains it made two years ago or if voters who are independent or lean towards the middle will swing back to supporting Democrats.
“Our country is a mess, and I think you have a much different country than you did,” Trump said. “We’re going to make a heavy play for New York. We’re going to make a heavy play for Virginia. States that generally don’t go Republican, I think they’re going to go Republican in a lot.”
He also brought up the increase in migrants coming to New York City, which has been a challenge for the Democrats in charge of the state. This issue could sway voters towards the Republicans.
Read also: Republicans were right to boycott the border bill, most Americans think the same, a survey shows
Republicans flipped several congressional seats in the state recently
Even though New York City and other cities like Albany, Buffalo, and Rochester have voted heavily Democratic, making New York a Democratic state for many years, Republicans managed to win several congressional seats in the state. In the 2022 elections, which focused on crime and the economy, Lee Zeldin, a Republican, ran a surprisingly close race against Governor Kathy Hochul.
However, experts think Trump has a tough road ahead to win New York, recalling his significant loss there in 2020. Biden got 60.9 percent of the votes in New York, while Trump received only 37.7 percent.
Biden popularity in New York questionable
Experts believe that if the economy goes downhill or inflation rises, it could be bad for Biden. Also, Biden facing criticism from progressive groups because of how he’s handling the Israel-Hamas conflict might make him less popular in New York. Even though these progressives probably won’t vote for Trump, they might not vote at all. The last time New York chose a Republican for president was when Ronald Reagan won almost all the states.
Read also: Trump was ahead of time, most Americans now support building a wall along the southern border
However, despite what Trump may be planning, New York is still considered a strong Democratic state for the presidential election. This means it’s not expected to be a close race. Top of Form
