Republican National Convention delegates cheered enthusiastically as Texas Governor Greg Abbott reaffirmed his stance on sending busloads of migrants to blue cities during a speech at the convention in Milwaukee last month. However, officials and shelter operators from both Texas and several major U.S. cities have reported a significant decline in migrant arrivals, leading to a decrease in consistent bus departures from Texas.

According to data, the number of migrants apprehended at the southern border has dropped significantly, with approximately 117,000 migrants detained in May compared to a record-breaking 300,000 in December. Furthermore, June saw a further decrease, with only around 84,000 migrant apprehensions, marking the lowest monthly total since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.

Josh Goldfein, a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of New York, observed that the frequency of bus departures has diminished due to a reduced number of migrants crossing the border. White House officials and immigration advocates attribute this slowdown to increased efforts by Mexican authorities to crackdown on U.S.-bound migrants and Biden's executive action in June, which restricted asylum claims at the southern border.

Andrew Maheris, a spokesman for Governor Abbott, acknowledged the decrease in migrant arrivals but maintained that it was the governor's actions that contributed to the reduction in border crossings. Maheris claimed that Operation Lone Star, an $11 billion initiative aimed at addressing the migrant surge in Texas, has successfully decreased illegal border crossings by 85%. As a result, fewer migrants are being transported by bus from Texas.

The bus departures from border towns such as Del Rio and McAllen have significantly decreased, with no recent reports of buses leaving these areas, according to local officials and shelter operators. Similarly, the last Abbott-sponsored buses departing from Laredo and Brownsville were in January, and there has been a noticeable decline in buses leaving El Paso in recent months.

Bill Irvin, from the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, noted that there is now less demand for bus services, as the number of migrants seeking shelter has significantly decreased. The spokesperson for the Texas Division of Emergency Management attributed fluctuations in bus departures to varying numbers of individuals released by federal authorities and seasonal weather conditions impacting passenger numbers.

Despite these fluctuations, officials from multiple cities that had previously received buses from Texas reported that no Abbott-sponsored buses have arrived since January. The last bus to reach Philadelphia arrived in December with 29 individuals, while no Abbott buses have been recorded in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, or Chicago this year. In New York, bus arrivals ceased after Mayor Eric Adams imposed restrictions and filed a lawsuit against bus companies bringing migrants from Texas.

Immigration activist Power Malu, who coordinated efforts to welcome migrants in New York, confirmed that while Abbott's buses received media attention, much of the migration flow occurred through airports and self-funded bus tickets. Local officials in Texas border towns also reported adjustments to their services due to the decreased number of migrants crossing the border.

As the Democratic National Convention prepares to take place in Chicago next week, officials are making contingency plans for potential new arrivals, although they do not anticipate a significant influx. In New York, bus arrivals ceased after Mayor Adams imposed restrictions and filed a lawsuit against bus companies, and immigration activist Power Malu reported that even buses dropping off migrants in New Jersey mostly stopped after Biden's executive action in June.