# Republican “migrants stunt” **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 16, 2022, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656 "2022-09-16T08:04:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/101 "2022-09-16T18:18:26Z")
Okay, substitute Pritzker for Lightfoot. He, too, publicly complained about lack of notice from Texas. Why didn’t Pritzker notify Burr Ridge? RE: solving immigration issues. Ask Nancy, Chuck, and Joe. They control the House, Senate, and White House. And what has Ms. Harris accomplished since she was assigned to address the problem? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/102 "2022-09-16T18:33:35Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > RE: solving immigration issues. Ask Nancy, Chuck, and Joe. They control the House, Senate, and White House. And what has Ms. Harris accomplished since she was assigned to address the problem? That’s not an opinion, you do realize that, right? Just come out and say you’re not going to answer the question or that you don’t have an answer instead of deflecting. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/103 "2022-09-16T18:36:01Z")
Wait, so the comparison is between Abbott, who could freely choose when to send people and had ample time to give warning (the buses were in transit for a while and it took them time to get them filled) vs Pritzker who was under time pressure to take care of these folks and gave as much notice as he possibly could (which may well have been none)? Well, that’s fair. Somebody who had days to give notice vs somebody who may have had minutes or hours at best. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/104 "2022-09-16T18:45:16Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’m curious if Cruz or DeSantis or [looks up MA Gov] Baker is planning to take credit for deporting these “illegals” Leave Baker out of this. He’s a decent person, not at all a MAGAt, heck he’s considered a mad lib RINO by the Abbot type governors, and his administration is engaged in the efforts to help these people. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/105 "2022-09-16T18:48:47Z")
Also, Pritzker could have just trolled, say, Oklahoma, and sent them there, but he’d rather treat these human beings like human beings and not like pawns being used to pwn the libs. @D_Anconia, that article also stated: > Johnson said he had a cordial conversation with Lightfoot on Sunday, who, he said, apologized but said the state was overseeing the process. So, Lightfoot apologized because she’s a normal human who realized she could have done more to make this easier on Johnson. Where’s the apology from Abbott? Now, from a practical perspective, if you’re Pritzger, are you going to keep the legal immigrants in crowded, expensive Chicago? Or, move them out to the middle of nowhere in southern Illinois where there’s no work? Or, do you move them to the 'burbs, where it’s less crowded and less expensive than Chicago, but it’s still close enough to get them jobs? Seems like he did the right and humane thing, given the absolute bullshit move from Abbott. I mean, let’s face it, Abbott and DeSantis don’t really even consider these refugees to be fully human. They’re moving them around like you would cattle. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/106 "2022-09-16T18:54:24Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Leave Baker out of this. He’s a decent person, not at all a MAGAt, heck he’s considered a mad lib RINO by the Abbot type governors, and his administration is engaged in the efforts to help these people. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t know anything about him. Never even heard his name until that post. I honestly don’t know if you’re being serious or sarcastic. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/107 "2022-09-16T18:55:35Z")
He’s not MAGA. Can you imagine a MAGA Republican getting elected in Massachusetts? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/108 "2022-09-16T18:58:37Z")
Yes? No? I don’t follow politics remotely close enough to answer a question like that. Knowing what states are generally blue vs red is way, way out of my wheelhouse. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/109 "2022-09-16T18:59:31Z")
Ah. Well, for future reference, Mass is one of the bluest states. Maybe the bluest? ETA: Yes, the [bluest](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-red-or-blue-is-your-state-your-congressional-district/). ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/110 "2022-09-16T18:59:41Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Make no mistake, this action was made out of a place of hatred. They wanted to hurt people. They wanted to hurt immigrants, they wanted to hurt their fellow countrymen, they wanted to hurt the country. I came to post exactly this. This is the real difference between Republican and Democratic partisanship. I don’t like the way the leaders in the Red states act, or their voters vote or some or some of their beliefs but I don’t actually wish them harm. I don’t want to take actions to make additional problems for them. But starting with Trump the Republicans actively want to harm the Blue states. They want to [snarl traffic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal) in Democrat held cities. They want our forests and homes to [burn](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/15/politics/trump-california-fire-disaster-assistance/index.html). They want to target [tax hikes](https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/eliminating-state-and-local-tax-deduction-to-pay-for-tax-cuts-for) specifically at us. Now before someone tries to gotcha me, I admit that on this board and elsewhere there is lots of rhetoric wishing bad things on red states and enjoying a bit of Schadenfreude, but in terms of actual actions I don’t see Democratic politicians taking taking actions to deliberately harm the people or Red states. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/111 "2022-09-16T19:13:23Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > So why is Lightfoot complaining about lack of notice from Abbott? I invite you to compare and contrast these two situations: 50 immigrants dropped off at Union Station with no notice. 50 immigrants dropped off at a La Quinta, after space at that hotel was secured for those 50 people, as part of a plan to support and transition those people to more permanent homes. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/112 "2022-09-16T19:51:17Z")
Here’s a question that I haven’t been able to find the answer. Hopefully somebody can answer for me. In all of these cases (Martha’s Vineyard, the Veep’s neighborhood, Chicago, etc.), how did the immigrants cross the border? Did they walk across and willingly surrender to the US authorities, or were they captured after crossing the Rio Grande or after being smuggled across? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/113 "2022-09-16T20:03:08Z")
As above, these are mostly folks who had been in government custody but had been released and are free to travel while their legal proceedings are in progress. Most are presumed to have applied for asylum but the legal system is a bit backed up. It’s been suggested these governors are getting people who have already been processed to avoid potential trafficking charges. Most of the cities taking them have been willing/able to handle migrants but would appreciate not simply having busloads of people suddenly dumped on them. For Illinois, as above, some of the mayors had not been notified, but the state didn’t simply dump them - they had made arrangements for lodging and food but hadn’t always fully updated the local authorities ahead of time. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/114 "2022-09-16T20:05:14Z")
**Broomstick** covered all that above. > [@Broomstick](#): > > As I mentioned in a prior post, ALL of these people transported by DeSantis and Abbott actually are legally allowed to be in the US and travel within it. I assume this was deliberate to protect them from the very accusations and prosecution you mention. > > > [@DCnDC](#): > > > > Apparently when the buses stop for gas, a lot of the passengers get off and walk away, and nobody stops them, so they’re actually distributing “illegals” widely across the entire South. > > Again - none of those people are illegal. They are all people who are formally identified as asylum seekers and legally allowed to stay in the US and travel within it. > > > [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > > > Whether or not it’s human trafficking, it definitely appears to be a crime. > > > > [8 USC 1324: Bringing in and harboring certain aliens](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1324&num=0&edition=prelim), subsection ii: > > > > Any person who “(ii) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, transports, or moves or attempts to transport or move such alien within the United States by means of transportation or otherwise, in furtherance of such violation of law” > > One more time - all of these migrants are legally permitted to stay in the US and move around within it. They are all recognized asylum seekers with paperwork, court dates, and case numbers. Offering to give them a ride is not illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/115 "2022-09-16T20:08:33Z")
Please forgive, but I’m slow…these folks walked across the border and willingly surrendered to the US authorities, correct? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/116 "2022-09-16T20:24:29Z")
More or less. It is essentially necessary to be in the country to file for asylum. So, some flew in on commercial travel. Some went over a land crossing. Some found some way of getting smuggled across, etc. But all of the ones being bussed/flown to points outside Texas seem to have filed the appropriate paperwork seeking asylum and are in the system. I think some of them (particularly the ones from Venezuela) did not so much “surrender” as go to the appropriate facility and file paperwork. Deportation is not practical in many of these cases so they are allowed to remain and travel within the US while their cases are pending. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/117 "2022-09-16T20:29:07Z")
If you want to apply for asylum that’s generally how it works, or at least one way for it to work. And they may not have all walked, some of them may have come in cars or on buses. Some may have indeed been smuggled by coyotes. But yes, they all at some point went to the authorities and said, more or less “I ask for asylum”. They weren’t sneaking in with the intent to live here in a shadowy illegal underworld. They _want_ to be here, and they want to live, work, pay taxes, and be part of the community legally and openly. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/118 "2022-09-16T20:52:57Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > In August, 9 people (that we know about) drowned in 1 day trying to cross the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass. > The “compassionate” people enabled that, and encouraged that. > > In June, 50 people died of heat exhaustion after a smuggler abandoned them in a locked truck near San Antonio. > The “compassionate” people enabled that, and encouraged that. > > When parents send their daughters northward, they give them morning-after pills, because most of them will be raped by the smugglers, long before the get to the U.S. border. > The “compassionate” people enable that, and encourage that. > > Every day, 100 Americans die, poisoned by fentanyl, brought over the border by the smugglers. > The “compassionate” people enable that, and encourage that. > . No, the right-wingers that enable and encourage all of that don’t even pretend to be compassionate. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/119 "2022-09-16T21:08:00Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I think one flaw in the Martha’s Vineyard stunt was the notion that it was somehow JUST elites that live/vacation there. There are immigrant communities already there. And I’ve heard nothing about what elites were there recoiling in horror from the migrants. It just didn’t have the effect Abbott and DeSantis were hoping for. All politics are domestic. People in Martha’s Vineyard aren’t the intended audience for this show. The intended audience are voters in Texas and Florida that Abbott and DeSantis are trying to impress . So this has nothing to do with the actual situation in Martha’s Vineyard. It’s about telling people in Texas and Florida “You know all them rich liberals up in Martha’s Vineyard telling us what to do with illegal immigrants? Well, I just sent a busload of them up there! Let’s see how they like it! I guess we showed them!” It’s not about any real threat. It’s political theater where you tell voters (the more gullible ones) that they have an enemy out there and you’re protecting them from that enemy. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656/120 "2022-09-16T21:25:31Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It’s not about any real threat. It’s political theater where you tell voters (the more gullible ones) that they have an enemy out there and you’re protecting them from that enemy. I agree, there’s that, and playing on some people’s fantasy of rounding up “those” people, undesirables and such, and shipping them away. Bonus points for sending them to some lib location for them to deal with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-migrants-stunt/971656.md?page=7)