How Texas officials stymied nonprofits' efforts to help migrants they bused to northern cities

As an unofficial network of migrant advocates worked to bring organization and efficiency to bus arrivals in cities around the U.S., Texas officials quietly tried to thwart them, maximizing chaos for the Democratic-led cities where the buses were sent, a CBS News investigation has found.

Two years ago, to draw attention to the failure of the federal government to come up with policies to stem the flow of migrants across the southern border, the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, initiated Operation Lone Star. Part of that was a plan to put migrants crossing the southern border on buses and send them north — and drop them off en masse in cities led by Democrats. 

To prepare for the busloads of migrants arriving in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities, a woman named Tiffany Burrow forged relationships with nonprofit workers in destination cities to help them prepare for the buses. In September, without explanation, Texas officials told her they would no longer provide the information necessary for her to coordinate bus arrivals, CBS News learned through interviews with those involved.