Officials in Philadelphia are preparing for a possible busload of migrants to arrive from Del Rio, Texas, this week.
It would mark Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s first time sending migrants to the “City of Brotherly Love” after months of buses arriving in Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago.
“This information was relayed to us from a community partner organization as Texas officials have not coordinated with the city,” a city spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Sunday. “We do not have an exact location of where the bus will disembark, nor do we have any specific information about those on board, nor do we know if other buses are planned.”
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, said the city would be ready whenever the expected migrants arrive.
“We were getting information from various advocacy sources that they were on their way, but we don’t know whether or not they’ve actually left,” Kenney said, according to NBC 10 Philadelphia. “It’s like a 36-40 hour bus trip, so they could be coming any time tomorrow, Tuesday – but whatever day they come, we’ll welcome them with open arms.”
At least a dozen local organizations met on Saturday to prepare for the potential arrivals, the report added.
The Texas governor’s office has not yet responded to the reports regarding the potential bus to Philadelphia. It is also uncertain whether there are plans for additional buses to arrive in the city.
Abbott noted Thursday that Texas had bused almost 8,300 migrants to the nation’s capital since April. The latest statistics also reported more than 3,700 migrants had been sent to New York City since August 5, and over 1,200 migrants to Chicago since August 31.
In addition to Texas, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, has bused more than 2,000 migrants to Washington, D.C., as of October. The governor told reporters he plans to continue the program until he leaves office in January.
“The Biden administration is AWOL on the border, and they’re anti-wall. This is a dereliction of duty, and I will continue to do everything we can, including building our own wall and physical barrier. If Joe Biden and [Vice President] Kamala Harris won’t come to the border, I’m going to bring the border to them,” Ducey said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also made headlines for authorizing two flights of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard.
“The one place in the country where we see virtually no law and order is at the southern border. And this is a crisis,” The Republican said following the action. “It’s now getting a little more attention.”
“And it’s a manufactured crisis because of Biden’s failed policies,” he added.
