Philadelphia prepares for possible buses of migrants sent from Texas 

Philadelphia is preparing to welcome busloads of migrants from Texas in case Governor Greg Abbott targets the city as the next destination. 

"The city is inventorying existing resources should those seeking safe refuge find their way to Philadelphia," Kevin Lessard, a spokesperson for Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney, told Axios.

Lessard added that they don’t expect to receive any notice from Texas in case Abbott does decide to send migrants to the city. 

While there has been no confirmation that Texas will send busloads of migrants from Texas, Philadelphia officials are worried that Abbott will choose the city next as he continues to push back against the nation’s immigration policies. 

Abbott has bused more than 7,600 migrants from Texas to Washington D.C. since April. He has also sent more than 1,900 buses to New York City since early August and just recently several hundred to Chicago. 

As a result, officials in Washington, D.C. and New York have become overwhelmed by the influx of new migrants and are struggling to provide adequate shelter and supplies for the new arrivals.  

New York Mayor Eric Adams has criticized Abbott’s actions, calling them “the worst type of politics.” 

"It’s hateful politics to raise his national profile and, you know what, you should not be doing it by taking away the respect and dignity of people who are in need," he said at the time.

Similarly, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Abbott was “manufacturing a human crisis” by sending migrants to other cities without proper preparation.

“He tries to send human beings, not cargo, not freight, but human beings across the country to an uncertain destination,” Lightfoot said. “He is manufacturing a human crisis and it makes no sense to me,” she said.