Third Texas migrant bus arrives near US Capitol

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Third bus of migrants from southern border arrives in DC

A third bus of migrants arrives in Washington DC from Texas following Gov. Greg Abbott's announcement.

A third migrant bus arrived in Washington, D.C., around 8 a.m. Friday as part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's efforts to counter federal immigrant policies amid the current border crisis. 

Texas began sending an unspecified number of buses en route to Washington, D.C., on April 8, followingAbbott's statement that Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) officials would be transporting migrants released in Texas communities to the nation's capital. The White House initially described it as a "publicity stunt," with many assuming the governor would not follow through. The Friday bus carried approximately 30 migrants.

"What better place for them to go than the steps of the United States Capitol?" Abbott asked "America's Newsroom" hosts just last week. 

A third bus of migrants who crossed the U.S. border into Texas arrived in Washington, D.C., near the U.S. Capitol, Friday, April 15, 2022. (Timothy Nerozzi/Fox News Digital)

The first migrant bus arrived in DC on April 13, with the second bus arriving the next day. Both buses included immigrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia and Nicaragua.

The group spoke with the press in Spanish, and eventually called together a prayer circle not far from where they were dropped off.

Abbott has been highly critical of the Biden administration's handling of the border crisis, stating that the federal government has failed in properly assessing the border situation. 

During remarks at a ceremony for a Texas Department of Safety Memorial, Abbott stated more than 1.6 million people had crossed the border into Texas illegally in the last 15 months. 

A third bus of migrants who crossed the U.S. border into Texas arrived in Washington, D.C., near the U.S. Capitol, Friday, April 15, 2022. (Timothy Nerozzi/Fox News Digital)

As of February, approximately 220,000 known "gotaways" have evaded Border Patrol since October 2021, a Department of Homeland Security official told Fox News in February. 

The legality of Abbott's move to send migrant buses to Washington, D.C., remains in question, however. The 2012 Supreme Court case, Arizona v. the United States, established states could not make their own immigration policies. 

Abbott has called on Mexico to step up and help curb illegal immigration numbers. He threatened economic consequences during his Thursday night appearance on "Tucker Carlson Tonight." 

"The predictable result is that these governors of states that are connected to Texas would be knocking on our door begging for relief," Abbott told host Tucker Carlson. "As they beg for relief, we are demanding that they implement security measures that will reduce illegal immigration coming across the border."