CNN
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Late Saturday, in 18-degree weather, several buses carrying immigrants alighted in front of the Washington, D.C., residence of Vice President Kamala Harris on Christmas Eve.
The first two buses were sent to local shelters, according to a government official. Later Saturday, more buses arrived outside the vice president’s mansion. A CNN team saw migrants being sent away, some wearing only T-shirts in the frigid weather. They were given blankets and put on another bus to a local church.
Amy Fischer, a volunteer with the Immigrant Solidarity Network, which has been receiving immigrants sent to D.C. since the spring, said the group was ready for Saturday night’s arrival, with one at the border The working NGO had earlier notified the state of Texas of the matter.
Arrivals included asylum seekers from Ecuador, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Peru and Colombia, according to Fischer, who told CNN the buses were supposed to go to New York but were diverted to Washington because of the weather sar. Since April, large numbers of migrant buses have arrived in Washington every week.
“The DC community has been welcoming buses from Texas since April. Christmas Eve is no different than the cold weather,” she said. “We’re always here to welcome people with open arms.”
It was unclear who was responsible for sending the migrants to the Naval Observatory, where the vice president’s official residence is located, although CNN reported earlier this year that the Texas governor was responsible. Greg Abbott has sent migrant buses north, including somewhere outside Harris’ home. CNN has reached out to Abbott’s office for comment on the latest arrivals.
Migrant told CNN what he was promised to get on the plane
Abbott is one of at least three Republican governors who have been praised for busing or flying immigrants north this year to protest the Biden administration’s immigration policies. He previously confirmed in September that his state had sent buses to Harris’ residence at the time.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the person who said her group was preparing for the arrival of immigrants. Amy Fischer is a volunteer with the Immigrant Solidarity Network.
This story has been updated with more information.