Busloads of migrants being sent to Washington, D.C., by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott are apparently making stops in the Chattanooga area.
Abbott has been sending the migrants as a protest of federal border policies, which he says are weak. Abbott calls the effort a mission to "provide relief to overrun border communities" and "bring the reality of the crisis to the federal government's doorstep."
This week, Dade County Sheriff Ray Cross in Georgia reported to the scene of a bus carrying migrants attempting to drop off passengers in his rural community, according to a Dade County Sheriff's Office social media post, and the Chattanooga Police Department was called to a hotel in Lookout Valley to investigate a bus carrying migrants.
The Dade County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene of a truck stop in Rising Fawn, finding a bus that was transporting "illegal immigrants from Texas, en route to Washington D.C.," according to the social media post.
The post said the bus driver told Sheriff Cross that Rising Fawn was one of the bus's stops, and several immigrants had already decided to get off there.
"Based off Sheriff Cross's conversation with the bus driver, it appeared as if the illegal immigrants were being encouraged to exit the bus at this location, with the impression that Chattanooga was within walking distance," the post said.
Chattanooga is nearly 30 miles from Rising Fawn.
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Cross spoke to the owner of the bus line, the post said, requesting that drivers not drop off migrants in rural areas of Dade County where few resources are available. Cross also contacted the Georgia governor's office and state legislators including state Rep. Mike Cameron, who represents District 1 in the Georgia House of Representatives, where the incident took place.
Chattanooga Police spokesperson Jerri Sutton said in an email that there is no ongoing investigation and no suspicion of any crime being committed at the hotel in Lookout Valley. The travelers were gone when police arrived, Sutton said, and she didn't know whether the travelers were here legally.
Arsala Quezon, working the front desk at the Comfort Inn & Suites Lookout Mountain, confirmed on Friday that the bus apparently carrying immigrants from the southern border was still at the hotel. Only the driver stays at the hotel, while everyone else waits on the bus for a relief driver, she said.
"The driver stays here, there's one that stayed here last night, then they bring the other one (driver) over," Quezon said in a phone interview.
The arrival of buses has been a regular occurrence for "a few months," Quezon said, and buses come through daily - sometimes two in a day.
Sometimes the people on the buses get off and walk around, and occasionally she's seen arguments with other hotel employees when they ask for the WiFi password, but Quezon said otherwise there haven't been any problems.
She hasn't talked to them much, she said, besides giving them the password.
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"I really don't know what's going on in this country, it's so confusing for everybody," Quezon said. "It's part of politics. Politics."
Joda Thongnopnua, chief of staff for the city of Chattanooga, posted on social media about the situation Friday evening.
"We are aware that Chattanooga is apparently a stopping point for charter buses sent by the state of Texas to the East Coast carrying migrants following the legal process of asylum," he said. "We are coordinating a multi-agency response to ensure these individuals are able to connect with their families and safely arrive at their final destinations. This administration will respond with compassion to vulnerable people fleeing extremely difficult circumstances.
"It's important to understand that these are migrants who have been screened by the Department of Homeland Security and are legally seeking asylum - which is a protected legal status."
Abbott's effort to bus migrants north began in April, Abbott said in an editorial published Thursday. Abbott invited the mayors of Washington D.C. and New York City to visit the southern border in Texas and asked that the mayors call on Biden to rally federal resources and protect the southern border.
"(President Joe) Biden's open border policies have led to record levels of illegal crossings, deadly drugs, & human smuggling," Abbott said in a social media post Thursday. "DC & NYC have now seen a fraction of what Texas faces daily. They should call on Biden to honor his duty & preserve America's national security."
New York Mayor Eric Adams has criticized Abbott.
"When you think about this country, a country that has always been open to those who are fleeing persecution and other intolerable conditions, we've always welcomed that," Adams said. "This governor is not doing that in Texas, but we are going to send the right message, the right tone, of being here for these families."
Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @tweetatwilkins.