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Earlier today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) sent a letter to Governor Phil Murphy, committing to work together on an efficient and compassionate state, local and federal response to the recent drop-off of migrants in New Jersey. Reps. Bill Pascrell, Donald Payne, Jr. and Robert J. Menendez also signed on to Rep. Watson Coleman’s letter.
As part of an ongoing, shameful, and inhumane series of political stunts, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other southern governors are exploiting migrants desperate for a better life for themselves and their families. The drop off in New Jersey is just the latest iteration of this despicable conduct.
“We know that Governor Abbott will not stop his political stunt, and so we want to coordinate closely between all federal, state, and local partners to navigate this situation,” the letter states. “Our priority is to ensure humanitarian needs are taken care of and our state and local officials have the proper resources at their disposal as more migrants arrive.”
We are a nation of immigrants and we have a moral responsibility to treat the migrants who have arrived in New Jersey with dignity and respect their essential humanity. This letter is the first step in establishing an effective and humane response to a shameful stunt that plays politics with people’s lives. Above all, we want to ensure the people who have arrived here receive the support they need, and we are committed to working diligently at the local, state, and federal level to do that.
The letter also requests information, including whether or not the Governor’s office was informed ahead of time of this stunt by Governor Abbott, an update on any coordination with New York officials or the Biden Administration, and what resources are currently available to support the migrants who have arrived.
This is not the first time families have been bussed from southern cities to Trenton. The first so-called “Reverse Freedom Rides” in the 1960s brought Black families from the South to Northern cities like Trenton. Intending to embarrass Northern liberals and humiliate Black people, southern White Citizens Councils started putting Black families on one-way bus trips to northern cities with promises of jobs, housing, and better lives. Ultimately, Governor Abbott is simply cribbing from the white supremacist playbook.
The full letter can be read here.
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