Did Greg Abbott send a busload of migrants to Kamala Harris' house on Christmas Eve?

Question

I can't square this one. Greg Abbott is a Republican governor who espouses conservative Christian values, so when I read that he deliberately redirected a busload of migrant families to a political opponent's house, on Christmas Eve of all days, it makes me wonder whether we're getting the whole story. It doesn't seem to be in his political interest to do this.

According to Reuters:

WASHINGTON, Dec 26 (Reuters) - The White House on Monday accused Texas Governor Greg Abbott of endangering lives after busloads of migrants from the southwest border in Texas were dropped near Vice President Kamala Harris' home in Washington, D.C., on a cold Christmas Eve.

Source: White House assails Texas Governor Abbott over Christmas Eve migrant drop

As far as I can tell there is no direct evidence linking Abbott to this incident. But I also don't think the White House would make such an accusation without basis.

So my question is, what's the basis for the accusation that Abbott orchestrated this incident?

Answer 1

Yes, it does appear that Greg Abbott did send them to the VP's residence and sent a letter to Biden to justify those actions.

Washington, DC: Bus of migrants dropped off outside VP Kamala Harris' home

Gov. Abbott began sending migrants from border cities to the nation’s capital in April, in an effort to pressure the Biden administration to take action on immigration enforcement and border security. This practice has been widely criticized.

In a letter Abbott sent to President Biden on Tuesday, the Texas governor cited freezing temperatures in cities like El Paso as his reason to transport the migrants as migrant housing facilities already at capacity have been forced to release people outside onto the streets.

"Your policies will leave many people in the bitter, dangerous cold as a polar vortex moves into Texas," Abbott wrote. "Texas has borne a lopsided burden caused by your open border policies."

Answer 2

A CNN team confirms the story:

More buses arrived outside the vice president’s residence later Saturday evening. A CNN team saw migrants being dropped off, with some migrants wearing only T-shirts in the freezing weather. They were given blankets and put on another bus that went to a local church.

The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network notes that they were sent at the directive of Abbott:

The mutual aid group said the buses were sent by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which follows the directive of Gov. Greg Abbott’s office.

“They have been doing that for a few months now; it’s all for the spectacle,” Ms. Bahl said of the governor’s office. “The cruelty is the point. It’s awful to use people in this manner, for political reasons.”

It's not the first time Abbott has bused off human beings as a political stunt, nor the first time he dropped them off in front of Harris' house. Back then he claimed credit and went into details on his reasoning:

“VP Harris claims our border is ‘secure’ & denies the crisis,” Abbott tweeted. “We’re sending migrants to her backyard to call on the Biden Administration to do its job & secure the border.”