A bus carrying 28 migrants arrived in Philadelphia from Texas in November 2022, including a 10-year-old girl suffering from dehydration and a high fever who was whisked to a hospital for treatment. Advocates who welcomed them with coats and blankets as they arrived before dawn on a cold, drizzly morning said the families and individuals came from Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. The city and several nonprofit groups were ready to provide food, temporary housing and other services. "For those arriving in Philadelphia today, please know you are welcomed here," Mayor Jim Kenney said. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had announced that Philadelphia would be the next destination for migrants the state is transporting from the U.S.-Mexico border by the thousands to Democratic-led locales, putting a new bus on the road a week after the Republican easily won reelection. Kenney blasted Abbott for his handling of the migrants. "It's not just unproductive and disappointing, but downright irresponsible and callous to do this unannounced and without coordination, showing blatant disregard for the sanctity of human lives." U.S. officials stopped more than 2 million illegal border crossings in the last fiscal year, a record high that reflects the deteriorating economic and political conditions in some countries, along with the relative strength of the U.S. economy and uneven enforcement of Trump-era asylum restrictions.
In Burlington, Vermont, crafters sewed, crocheted and knitted at least 86 artistic blankets as gifts for refugees and immigrants to make them feel welcomed in their new community. The effort is part of the national Welcome Blanket project.
