Growing up in Texas, I’ve met people who have been bused to other cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and I’ve witnessed many face discrimination based on their nationality. Seeing these realities up close has shaped how I view the stories surrounding immigration.

 

In New York, many homeless migrants sleep outside rather than in shelters because they feel safer in the open. One of them said, “Here we all take care of each other.” This distrust in government represents a fear that many immigrants share, coming from countries where the government has failed them before. It reminds me of stories I’ve heard from people in Texas who share similar fears, avoiding shelters or government assistance out of concern for their safety or risk of deportation. This mirrors the broader sentiment of vulnerability many migrants feel even after arriving in the U.S.

 

Busing migrants to cities like Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago has put strain on these cities, and more recently, Boston, Detroit, and Albuquerque have been affected. New York City has spent more than $5.1 billion to manage the surge of immigrants, most from Venezuela, with reports even saying the city has paid some to leave. In Texas, I’ve met people who were directly impacted by this strategy, some of whom had no idea where they were headed when they boarded the buses. Their American Dream, much like the one portrayed in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, becomes a story of hardship and exploitation rather than opportunity.

 

In New York, the overwhelming number of migrants has created confusion about how many buses are coming and when. The city requested $315 billion but only received $31 billion, showing how unprepared cities are for this surge. I’ve seen the disorganization firsthand in Texas, where there are often gaps in how migrants are handled, with no clear guidance on where they will go or how they will be supported once they arrive.

 

One story that disturbed me to my core involved the exploitation of migrants on platforms like YouTube, where people harass migrants for entertainment. In Texas, the desperation is real—crossing the border through a desert where dehydration and death are constant threats. So to see people monetizing this suffering, while harassing migrants, is horrifying. In one story, a person stabbed and shot a barrel of water meant to save lives along the border. This hits especially close to home because organizations like Humane Borders work tirelessly to maintain water along the border to prevent migrant deaths. Seeing that work sabotaged by individuals for personal gain is infuriating.

 

The contrast between how different migrant groups are treated is stark. Ukrainian migrants have been welcomed more easily, reflecting underlying racial and geopolitical biases. The U.S. government responded quickly to the Ukrainian crisis with programs like United by Ukraine, but Central and South American migrants continue to face delays and harsher restrictions. In Texas, I’ve seen how people from Mexico and Central America are treated with suspicion and judged more harshly than migrants from other parts of the world.