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What's happening to the migrants being bussed north?

Moussa, Salimata and their baby Ibrahim crossed into Texas to seek asylum before being bussed to Washington, D.C.
Moussa, Salimata and their baby Ibrahim crossed into Texas to seek asylum before being bussed to Washington, D.C.

Salimata, her husband Moussa, and their baby son, Ibrahim, fled violence in their home country of Ivory Coast. They arrived in Texas this year, seeking asylum in the United States. After a day at a shelter, they were put on a bus and dropped off in Washington, D.C.

They’re three of the thousands of migrants who have been bussed to northern cities from Texas, Arizona, and Florida. The Republican governors say left-leaning cities and states should share in the responsibility of taking care of the record number of migrants coming over the border.

After Salimata and her family got off the bus in D.C., they found a home with Sue Kenney-Pfalzer, an immigration attorney looking for a way to help. They spent nearly three months living together before Sue had to move to California for work. Now, Salimata’s family is living in a New York City homeless shelter.

“Asylum seekers coming from the border are human beings that just need help,” Sue told us. She set up a GoFundMe to raise funds to support Salimata’s family.

We talk to Salimata and Sue, then turn to a panel of experts on immigration to talk about the situation at large.

Copyright 2022 WAMU 88.5

Avery Kleinman, Maya Garg