At the end of December last year, Abbott sent about 120 immigrants on planes to Chicago. He did so in response to stricter rules for bus companies in that state.
They may face harsher penalties if they fail to drop off migrants at a specified location or fail to complete the correct paperwork.
The White House criticized the trip and accused Abbott of using migrants for political purposes. “Once again Governor Abbott is showing how little respect he has for people,” a government spokesperson said at the time.
Abbott is not the only Republican sending immigrants to democratic countries. For example, Florida sent two planes to California in the spring of 2023. And in 2022, Republican Senator and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has already sent migrants by plane to the island of Martha's Vineyard in the Democratic state of Massachusetts.
