PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — For the first time in months, another bus of migrants from Texas has arrived in Philadelphia.
In all, 31 people, including seven children, were on board the bus, which stopped outside 30th Street Station around 6:30 Wednesday morning. All of them are from Venezuela.
They were greeted by city emergency management officials and immigration advocates.
According to the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, an immigrant justice nonprofit, 26 of the passengers were taken to the welcome center that was previously established in North Philly. They will eventually go on to their final destinations elsewhere.
Blanca Pacheco, New Sanctuary co-director, assured that the travelers are being treated with respect and dignity.
“I wouldn’t say that it’s easy to do this job, but we do know that those buses are full of people. There are small people. There are mothers, parents. And there are human beings inside those buses,” she said.
The last bus of migrants to make its way to Philadelphia arrived on Dec. 29, 2022. Wednesday's bus marks the 20th sent since November. The city has welcomed about 900 migrants, but only about 55 stayed.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said officials are preparing for “an influx” of migrant buses. The pandemic-era policy Title 42 expires on Thursday, and more migrants are expected to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
The policy allowed U.S. authorities to quickly expel migrants at the southern border in the name of protecting public health.
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However, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said lifting Title 42 does not mean people can cross the border freely.
“The lifting of the Title 42 public health order does not mean our border is open. In fact, it is the contrary,” he said. “Our use of our immigration enforcement authorities under Title 8 of the United States code means tougher consequences for people who cross the border illegally.”
According to Title 8, people who cross the southern border without authorization will be presumed to be ineligible for asylum if they can’t prove that they previously requested protection in a third country. Migrants found in violation of the rule would be banned from the U.S. for five years, and they face a felony charge.
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Regardless, Philadelphia is preparing for more people to cross the border into the U.S. and make their way through the city.
The Office of Emergency Management is developing a coordination plan that is scalable, collaborative and flexible. A transparent multi-agency approach will be utilized.