Venezuelan asylum-seekers arrive in Fresno, bused from Texas in immigration reform battle
At least 16 families from Venezuela were bused to Fresno – some by way of wintry Colorado – after they entered the U.S. at the southern border in Texas to seek asylum from a crushing economic and political environment back home, according to City Councilmember Miguel Arias, who represents Fresno’s southwest and downtown areas.
“These are people who entered through the Texas-Mexico border and have been granted asylum entry to the U.S.,” Arias said. “They’ve been granted asylum parole for a hearing at a future court date. They have legal entrance into this country for asylum, and therefore they’re in this country legally.”
But, he added, the earliest of those hearing dates is in 2025, and for some families their hearings won’t be until 2027.
Fresno, like other cities, finds itself caught in the political crossfire over immigration and border security.
If the assertions are correct, it would appear to represent another figurative shot by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his battles with the Biden administration over immigration reform. The Associated Press reported recently that since 2022, Texas has sent more than 100,000 migrants to Democratic-led cities and states to cope with surging numbers arriving at its border with Mexico. The state reportedly has contracts with multiple bus companies to send asylum seekers out of Texas.
Arias said the first trickle of asylum seekers arrived in Fresno a couple of weeks ago, with some showing up at city warming centers to seek overnight refuge from the cold. Those earliest arrivals, mostly young men, were staying in the centers at night and then going out in the day to try to find field labor work.
“This week we started seeing families,” Arias said. “These are families with children as young as 1 to 4 years old.” Arias said that Fresno received no warning from Texas officials that the state was sending people.
“Human beings should not be political pawns,” Arias said. “Texas is putting kids at risk.”
Arias said the city is trying to track down rumors that another bus from Texas may be arriving on Saturday. “That governor is actively shipping migrants across the country,” he said. “This city isn’t prepared for an influx of asylum seekers, and we’re not being notified by the public agency that’s sending them this way.”
“A city like ours doesn’t have the infrastructure to deal with asylum seekers,” he added. We’re so far from the border, that’s not something we’ve had to deal with.”
Arias said he learned in meeting with the families Thursday evening that about half of them had been sent by bus from Texas to Denver, Colo., where they were told that because of the weather and lack of work opportunities that Fresno would be a better place. The other half said they were bused directly from Texas to Fresno.
The unexpected arrival of the Venezuelans has Fresno leaders scrambling to find emergency housing. “We’re looking at what beds we have available in the motels that we own, looking at the shelters we have for families,” said Arias, who met with several families Thursday at the Fresno Mission. “Other folks here are mostly single adults, staying on the streets.”
Arias said the city has secured housing at a hotel for the next several nights and will also help to provide medication for children, including asthma inhalers. Their medications were confiscated by U.S. customs officials when they crossed the Texas border.
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said his office is working to determine the facts behind the situation. “My office is exploring all legal options, including suing the State and the Governor of Texas for costs associated with housing persons, if these allegations are true,” Janz told The Bee. “We will forward all discovery of unlawful acts including conspiracy to commit federal kidnapping to the U.S. Attorney.”
Janz added that if the allegations are true, the city would also contemplate taking legal action against any bus companies involved in the transport of the migrants.
One Texas-based transportation company in Texas sued the city of Chicago in January over restrictions that city put in place requiring buses to drop off passengers only during certain hours and in a portion of downtown designated as a “landing zone” for migrants, The Associated Press reported. An attorney for the company said its subcontractors who actually operate the buses have been targeted by more than 90 lawsuits filed by the city.
Arias said the city has reached out to a local congressman, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, to seek federal help in dealing with the migrants.
Arias said Fresno is home to some organizations that can offer assistance to refugees, such as people who arrived seeking refuge from the war in Ukraine. But, he added, those organizations are not able to provide similar assistance to people seeking political or economic asylum.
A prolonged economic, social and political crisis in Venezuela – once considered one of the most prosperous countries in Latin America – has pushed millions of families into poverty and driven millions more to emigrate, according to The Associated Press.
Last year, The Sacramento Bee reported that another group of asylum-seekers from Latin American were sent from Florida, another Republican-led state, to Sacramento in two chartered airplanes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 7:32 PM.
CORRECTION: The original version of this story incorrectly reported that Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM) was not able to provide services to asylum seekers.
