Los Angeles mayor accuses Abbott of bussing migrants from Texas to California during Tropical Storm Hilary

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Monday night accused Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of sending a bus of migrants to the California city during Tropical Storm Hilary. 

"While we warned Angelenos to stay safe and brace themselves for the storm, the Governor of Texas sent a bus of families and toddlers straight for Los Angeles," Bass wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, from her official mayor's account. "This is a despicable act beyond politics – it's evil." 

From a second X account, used while campaigning, Bass also had written, "This evening, Los Angeles received another bus from Texas. That means that while we were urging Angelenos to stay safe, the Governor of Texas was sending a bus with families and toddlers straight towards us KNOWING they’d have to drive right into an unprecedented storm. Evil." 

"Despicable," that account added Tuesday, responding to a KNBC story reporting that the bus departed from Brownsville, Texas, Sunday, while officials warned of the storm. 

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"Bus drivers receive updated weather conditions along their routes and for their destination ahead of and while en route to the sanctuary cities," Abbott's press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, told Fox News Digital. "Yesterday's bus rerouted out of an abundance of caution and took a cautious path to Los Angeles to keep all on board safe. Migrants willingly chose to go to Los Angeles, having signed a voluntary consent waiver available in multiple languages upon boarding that they agreed on the destination. And they were processed and released by the federal government, who are dumping them at historic levels in Texas border towns because of the Biden-made crisis." 

"Each bus is stocked with food and water and makes stops along the trip to refuel and switch drivers," Mahaleris continued. "Migrants are allowed to purchase any needed provisions or disembark at any of these stops. Instead of complaining about Texas providing much-needed relief to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities, Mayor Bass needs to call on President Biden to step up and do his job to secure the border—something he continues failing to do."

Texas has bussed more than 30,000 migrants to Democratic-controlled cities across the U.S. that had touted their own sanctuary statuses since last year as part of Operation Lone Star. The effort is intended to provide relief to Texas communities overwhelmed and overridden amid what Republican Abbott has deemed the Biden administration's refusal to secure the border. 

Earlier this month, the Texas Division of Emergency Management confirmed the death of a 3-year-old child aboard one of the buses carrying migrants to Chicago. That marked the first time the state announced a death connected with the migrant bussing operation. 

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Calling every loss of life a "tragedy," the agency said that "once the child presented with health concerns, the bus pulled over and security personnel on board called 9-1-1 for emergency attention." The Illinois Department of Public Health said the child died in Marion County. 

The post from the Los Angeles mayor came as Hilary, the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in decades, was pushing across the Southwest toward the Rocky Mountains, where crews worked to rescue nursing home residents trapped by mud and water.

Though billed as a monster storm, prompting California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency, the Los Angeles Times reported that while Hilary brought several inches of rain and battered areas of the desert as promised, it also spared coastal areas like San Diego initially thought to be at higher risk. 

Bass said Monday no injuries or deaths had been reported in connection to the storm or the earthquake that struck the region around the same time. 

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Harold made landfall on the South Texas coast Tuesday, where it is expected to bring wind gusts of up to 50 mph in areas along the U.S.-Mexico border. Forecasters said Tuesday that the storm is expected to produce 2 to 4 inches of rain with some isolated amounts of up to 6 inches in South Texas through Wednesday.

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Ahead of heavy rainfall and dangerous winds expected with the storm, also known as Tropical Depression Nine, Abbott on Monday directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to increase the readiness level of the State Operations Center to ensure the swift deployment of support and resources to affected communities. 

"I encourage Texans to remain weather-aware and heed the guidance of state and local officials and emergency management personnel as they work together to keep communities safe."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.