this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023
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Texas reportedly paid a private company $75.5 million in the span of a year to transport migrants to sanctuary cities across the U.S.

Transaction data provided by the Texas Department of Emergency Management shows the state paid Wynne Transportation $75,561,032.72 from Aug. 19, 2022, through Aug. 23, 2023, to bus migrants out of state.

13 Investigates asked the department for more details on the spending, but our questions were referred to Gov. Greg Abbott's office.

Abbott's office did not respond to ABC13's questions by Tuesday afternoon.

Since April 2022, Texas has bussed nearly 52,000 migrants to Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles, according to a news release from Abbott's office.

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[–] TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee 113 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Hmmmmm. Sounds like kidnapping and human trafficking

[–] iforgotmyinstance@lemmy.world 48 points 1 year ago

And a lot of fraud. These bus tickets do not run 1500 per person, even with associated rounding-up costs (although the victims likely assembled themselves as they were deceived).

[–] sfgifz@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago

Yeah, and what is anyone going to do about it? Nothing.

[–] Radium@sh.itjust.works 76 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Probably could have housed, fed, and employed those same migrants for that amount

[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

~~That's $14,519.23 per migrant; wouldn't have lasted them long, but it could have taken care of them long enough for them to get their feet under them, surely.~~

~~I don't understand how it costs $14.5k per person to transport them... Sounds like someone's pockets were getting lined.~~

It's $1,453.09, not 14.5k. Still more than it should cost to transport people but not as unreasonable as I previously claimed.

[–] teft@startrek.website 30 points 1 year ago (3 children)

You are off by a factor of ten. The cost is $1453 per person. 75,561,032/52,000

[–] JJROKCZ@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Yea 1400 from Texas to Chicago is still pretty pricey but w/e. That money wouldn’t go far towards feeding/housing them but even if it covers a month that’s all most need to find work and pay for themselves after

[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 6 points 1 year ago

You are correct - I blame copy/paste. :)

[–] FontMasterFlex@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

You're both wrong. the article states the $75 million is from AUGUST 2022 to August 2023. The 52,000 number is from April 2022.

[–] TinyPizza@kbin.social 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why not be a monster AND make some sweet side cheddar. Everything's bigger in Texas, including the amount stolen off the top.

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 6 points 1 year ago

Yeah. Greyhound charges about $330 to go from San Antonio. In this case, the bus is likely fuller and only has to stop for gas and maybe a driver switch. Flights are actually cheaper, but then you'd have to explain to TSA why all these people without documentation and with flights paid by others are going through the airport.

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

Always follow the money.

[–] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 year ago

Yeah but then Texas would be treating brown people like human beings /s

[–] SatanicNotMessianic@lemmy.ml 49 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Texas is basically the Iraq of the US. Specifically, Saddam-era Iraq, not the lovely paradise it’s become since liberation.

It’s run by a ruthless dictator with a corrupt and criminal government dependent on him for protection. The oil-based economy keeps the money rolling in, with the poor getting the bare minimum to keep them from revolting while the rich get richer and the “elected” leaders get patronage.

He exploits religious and ethnic differences to make sure Texans remain divided and conquered, and will not hesitate to use violence to keep them in line.

I think it’s clear that we will eventually have to invade them and liberate them for their oil.

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[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago

$1500 for a bus ticket out of state seems pretty damn high (almost fraudulently high), but not as ridiculous as the headline makes it sound. What is ridiculous is trafficking 52,000 people who have no resources, no support, no contacts, no anything to someplace they didn't choose to go to thousands of miles away.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago

You gonna tell me Wynne Transportation isn’t a major donor or otherwise owned by a rabid republiQan?

Last time we dug into Florida’s human trafficking we found all kinds of exciting illegal turds. SOP.

[–] RedditReject@lemmy.world 33 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hating on people sure is expensive

[–] CmdrShepard@lemmy.one 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

$1500 per bus ticket. You can buy first class airfare for that price. These Republicans sure do love spending other people's money.

[–] ghostdoggtv@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

They don't call it "The Republican Criminal Enterprise" for nothing

[–] Bwaz@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Wondering whether we in the PNW could use our tax $$ to deport some of the MAGA aholes here down to Texas?

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

Great idea! We can be more efficient by running full buses in both directions

[–] bradorsomething@ttrpg.network 6 points 1 year ago

Send them to florida, recommend they live right on the ocean

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We have enough of them here already, thanks.

[–] motor_spirit@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah but Texas is their Rednecca! Welcome them home, they're already drinking light beer towards you multiple times per day!

[–] fsr1967@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

🤣🤣🤣 Brilliant! Have some Lemmy gold: 💰💰💰💰💰

[–] Jaysyn@kbin.social 27 points 1 year ago

Crime pays a lot if you're a Republican!

[–] Nougat@kbin.social 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Headline is badly worded. The private company did not pay that amount; the private company was paid that amount by the State of Texas.

[–] Techmaster@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Why don't headlines ever include important words like "was?"

[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 year ago

I was downvoted incredibly heavily for explaining this a while ago, but the answer is to promote misunderstandings. It’s a holdover from print newspapers where every word not printed amounted to extra ad space and article space, and therefore revenue and detail. However, being that that’s not an issue online, its only use is as a form of clickbait called a “crash blossom.”

[–] Nougat@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Why use many word when few word do trick?

[–] Techmaster@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Piss shirt bend bar

[–] ghostdoggtv@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

I smell a racket

[–] floppade@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago

Disaster capitalism at work.

[–] WindyRebel@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Aaaaaaaand how much does the state get in tax payer funds/year that is supposed to be used to help with these people and their plight in that state? I’m sure they get humanitarian aid.

[–] DarkGamer@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago

That's some Republican level graft right there.

[–] Dkarma@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"we don't have the resources to support these numbers of people" Spends 75 mil to bus them out of state

I simply don't get these ppl. They act like migrant workers are a drag on the economy when they're exactly the opposite.

[–] Microplasticbrain@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago

They're racist what is there to get

[–] uis@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

That's more than annual budget of most regions here!

[–] Sivalente@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

At least they're out of texas?

[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

I think you are being downvoted because your question could be interpreted two ways.

[–] ringwraithfish@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Out of sight, out of mind? I hope that's how I'm treated if I'm ever at rock bottom. /s

[–] Sivalente@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I was thinking more that texas is probably a bad place to be an immigrant in.

[–] WarmSoda@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That's probably true. But being shipped to a random city way out across a giant country isn't ok.

[–] thisisnotgoingwell@programming.dev 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There's a silver lining of good intentions here... Immigration court is different from state to state. Texas only approves 35% of asylum seekers. Meaning if you're an illegal in Texas wanting a pathway to legal residency, you're not likely to get it there. Meanwhile, in blue states such as in NY, it's 69% or higher. I would say majority of asylum seekers are seeking asylum for legitimate reasons. My wife tells stories that are very common to her family and other people from Honduras... The drug cartels rule with impunity, they have had family kidnapped for ransom, seeing people killed by gun violence is very normal, etc.

Anyways, typically, when USCIS finishes your intake, you have to be released to the custody of a friend or relative who accepts responsibility for you and you are given to their custody in their state of residence. You can't just ask to be taken to a liberal state, you have to have family there. Republicans are being cute in how they're dealing with immigration, but for the immigrants themselves, it's a favorable outcome.

[–] WarmSoda@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Interesting. Thank you for the info

[–] Sivalente@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago
[–] JJROKCZ@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Being homeless in the Chicago winter isn’t a great prospect either

[–] LarryTheMatador@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
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