Greg Abbott Slammed Over Christmas Message After Migrants Bused to D.C.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been criticized after he posted a Christmas Day social media message amid reports of migrants being left in Washington D.C. in freezing temperatures.

The Republican tweeted on December 25 wishing people a Merry Christmas and adding: "May the joy of our Savior's birth fill your hearts today and every day."

The tweet included a picture of a Bible verse from Isaiah 9:6 reading: "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace."

In response, a number of Twitter users condemned Abbott for his Christian message while reportedly being the figure behind a political stunt in which busloads of migrants were sent to the Washington D.C. home of Vice President Kamala Harris on Christmas Eve night.

The migrants, some of whom were only dressed in t-shirts, arrived in Washington D.C from Texas on December 24 in sub zero conditions and were eventually taken to local shelters.

According to CNN, the buses of asylum seekers from countries such as Ecuador, Cuba and Venezuela were supposed to go to New York but were diverted to D.C. due to the weather.

While it is not clear who sent the buses, Republican governors such as Abbott and Florida's Ron DeSantis have previously sent migrants to Democratic cities to protest President Joe Biden's immigration policies.

White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan accused Abbott of having "abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures" on Christmas Eve without coordinating with any federal or local authorities.

"As we have repeatedly said, we are willing to work with anyone—Republican or Democrat alike—on real solutions, like the comprehensive immigration reform and border security measures President Biden sent to Congress on his first day in office, but these political games accomplish nothing and only put lives in danger," Hasan said in a statement.

In response to Abbott's Christmas Day post, Jon B. Wolfsthal, a senior adviser at Global Zero and ex-adviser to then-Vice President Biden, tweeted: "Did you tweet this before or after you shipped 130 migrants to DC with no extra clothes on the coldest night of the year—which also happened to be Christmas?"

Photojournalist Paul W. Gillespie tweeted: "Dude, really? You just sent three bus loads of would be Mary and Joseph's from TX to NY on 9 degree Christmas eve.

"You all got to stop playing the Christian card. You go against everything he preached. At least the inn keeper let them stay in the manger.

Twitter user Michal Asbell added: "I'm just now catching up on the story of Gov. Abbott sending a busload of immigrants to VP Harris's DC home on Christmas Eve. There's nothing Christian or loving about stunts like this, Greg. In fact, it's more like Herod than anything else in the Christmas story. I feel sick."

While Abbott has not claimed responsibility for the migrants being sent to D.C. on Christmas eve, Amy Fischer, an organizer with The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, told WJLA that she believes the Texas governor was behind the stunt.

"It really does show the cruelty behind Gov. Abbott and his insistence on continuing to bus people here without care about people arriving late at night on Christmas Eve when the weather is so cold," Fischer said.

"People are getting off the buses, they don't have coats, they don't have clothes for this kind of weather, and they're freezing."

Abbott has been contacted for comment.