Mar 10, 2026 10:02 PM
(This post was last modified: Mar 10, 2026 10:02 PM by C C.)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1119519
INTRO: Texas busing programs that transported newly-arrived immigrants to Democratic-led cities boosted President Donald Trump’s vote share in affected counties during the 2024 election, according to a new study from the USC Price School of Public Policy and the University of North Texas.
Published in Sociological Science, the study quantifies the political impact of a policy that brought a unique migration shock to places far from the U.S.-Mexico border. The findings also highlight the growing role of state- and city-led immigration policies, as well as the enduring power of perceived threats from racial minorities, researchers said. The findings come as immigration enforcement is expected to be a top issue heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
From 2022 to 2024, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott transported more than 100,000 migrants to six cities that were led by Democratic mayors and had enacted "sanctuary" policies that protected undocumented immigrants by restricting cooperation with federal immigration officials. The cities were Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
To examine the electoral impact of the widely publicized busing program, researchers analyzed county-level election data and Associated Press VoteCast exit polls, comparing election results from 2016, 2020 and 2024. Study authors contrasted electoral results from counties that received migrant buses against those that did not, isolating how much affected counties distinctively changed in 2024 versus 2016 and 2020.
The study found... (MORE - details, no ads)
INTRO: Texas busing programs that transported newly-arrived immigrants to Democratic-led cities boosted President Donald Trump’s vote share in affected counties during the 2024 election, according to a new study from the USC Price School of Public Policy and the University of North Texas.
Published in Sociological Science, the study quantifies the political impact of a policy that brought a unique migration shock to places far from the U.S.-Mexico border. The findings also highlight the growing role of state- and city-led immigration policies, as well as the enduring power of perceived threats from racial minorities, researchers said. The findings come as immigration enforcement is expected to be a top issue heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
From 2022 to 2024, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott transported more than 100,000 migrants to six cities that were led by Democratic mayors and had enacted "sanctuary" policies that protected undocumented immigrants by restricting cooperation with federal immigration officials. The cities were Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
To examine the electoral impact of the widely publicized busing program, researchers analyzed county-level election data and Associated Press VoteCast exit polls, comparing election results from 2016, 2020 and 2024. Study authors contrasted electoral results from counties that received migrant buses against those that did not, isolating how much affected counties distinctively changed in 2024 versus 2016 and 2020.
The study found... (MORE - details, no ads)