Mayorkas: It’s a ‘sad’ and ‘tragic’ day when politicians bus migrants for political purposes

© Evan Vucci/AP Photo Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks about border security during a White House briefing Thursday.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said it’s “both a sad and tragic day when a government official uses migrants as a pawn for political purposes,” after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent migrants to Washington on Thursday.

A bus of more than 30 migrants arrived Thursday at the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris less than 24 hours after a bus of 40 migrants arrived at the Naval Observatory. Last year, more than 100 migrants bused from Texas arrived at Harris’ residence in Washington on Christmas Eve in freezing temperatures.

The move comes as cities throughout the U.S. are preparing to receive busloads of people at potentially record numbers due to Title 42 expiring. Title 42 allowed officials to turn away people at the border on public health grounds.

The expected surge after Title 42 ends Thursday has local leaders warning that they’re not equipped to welcome them and pleading with the federal government to launch a national resettlement strategy.

Abbott has bused more than 13,000 migrants from his state to Democratic-led cities like New York City, Chicago and Washington, saying that Texas is ill-prepared to handle the massive influx of migrants crossing the border.

“Think about the contrast of what the president just said and what you’ve seen Secretary Mayorkas say when he repeatedly said the border is not open, the border is closed,” Abbott said on Fox News onThursday. “And it’s nothing but a lie. The fact of the matter is the border has been open under the Biden administration, enticing people to come here illegally.”

Abbott said Monday that Texas was preparing to bus “thousands more migrants in coming days.”