Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to bus illegal immigrants to the Northeast is causing a stir in Tennessee, where a McDonald’s employee decided to call the cops on migrants who pleaded for food and money from customers.
The buses are using Chattanooga as a pit stop on the way from the southern border to places like Washington, D.C., and New York City, local police told WTVC News Channel 9.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, is feuding with Mr. Abbott, a Republican, over the situation, but there are signs of spats between migrants and locals en route.
“I had to get the police to remove them from the premises, which they turn and started sitting over at the gas station. After that we haven’t seen them for a while,” a McDonald’s employee in Chattanooga told WTVC. “The two young ones kept on going from here to over there, to the gas station, just trying to get money from people.”
The Dade County sheriff’s office in Georgia said on Facebook last week that migrants wanted to stop off in a small town that probably could not accommodate them. The office said larger cities would have more resources.
“It appeared as if the illegal immigrants were being encouraged to exit the bus at this location, with the impression that Chattanooga was within walking distance,” the post said. “After a short discussion with all the parties involved, the illegal immigrants chose to get back on the bus and continue their journey out of Dade County, and on to Washington, DC.”
Mr. Adams has disputed whether migrants who get on the buses really want to come to New York City.
Mr. Abbott’s office says that the migrants sign consent waivers, and if Democratic leaders want to stop the buses, they should press President Biden to secure the border instead of relying on states like Texas to absorb the influx of migrants.