this is "nightline." >> tonight, bussed to washington. migrants to thenorin capitol, sding a message. >> the president has not ever come to the border of texas and has seen the chaos that he has caused. >> but what many saw as a stunt is actually having unintended consequences. >> part of me said to myself this is fantastic. >> and inside one texas border town feeling the surge. >> we've had multiple houses broken into multiple times. plus sustainable fashion. why what's in your closet could be harming the environment. >> the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters on the planet. >> the by-products of popular

fast fashion filling up landfills. >> we end up having 90% of clothing that is thrown out well before the end of its useful life. >> now just ahead of earth day, a rare glimpse inside of efforts to make a difference. >> "nightline" will be right back. ♪ stack that cheddar, make it melt. ♪ ♪ cook it up, stretch it out. ♪ ♪ we're breaking the mold. ♪ ♪ estado dorado. ♪ ♪ shining like gold. ♪ ♪ estado dorado. ♪ ♪ vive en el estado dorado live in the golden state ♪

good evening. thank you for joining us. last week texas governor greg abbott began bussing migrants from his state to washington, d.c. with the surge continuing at the southern border. as the politics of the governor's controversial actions play out, we're with the people who are caught in the middle. over the span of almost a week, bus after bus of people who just crossed the border from mexico arriving in the heart of the nation's capital. they've been sent here by texas governor greg abbott, who says he is sending a message to president biden for what he calls the president's failure to secure the border. >> texas is tired of being the unloading dock for illegal immigrants crossing the border. the new unloading dock is going to be washington, d.c. >> the crisis at the southern border and the governor's controversial tactics stoking the flames of the political firestorm around immigration policy. tonight, how we got here.

the eyes of the texans feeling the surge. >> every time you pull up to gnaw broken window in the house or a new kicked in door, a new stolen truck or a new hole in the fence, you're so mad about it. >> and the people in the front lines of the crisis. >> they are fleeing because they are afraid. and it is a fear that is very difficult for many of us in the united states to comprehend. >> it all seems so simple. a bought of water, granola bars and cups of apple sauce. basic necessities making a big difference. here in the heart of del rio, texas, this small center is the first stop for many migrants who just crossed the mexican border. these asylum seekers are on their way to eventually reunite with family, friends, and sponsors as they wait for their

asylum hearing. >> today i have folks going to pennsylvania, new york, florida, california, and a few texas cities. the underlying reason that i hear from migrants regarding coming to america is for a better life. it's hard to put into words, you know, kidnapping and murders and raping and it's -- it's unimaginable. >> border towns like del rio are an important landing spot. but have also become overwhelmed by the surge of migrants flooding into the u.s. in march, u.s. customs and border patrol recorded more than 221,000 migrant encounters, the third highest number ever. the crisis at the border has helped catapult governor abbott to the national stage, with abbott repeatedly taking aim at the biden administration. >> the president has not ever come to the border of texas and

has seen the chaos that he has caused. and if he is not going come to is the border, we're going take the border to him. >> so in the past week, governor abbott has sent at least six buses full of asylum seekers to d.c., all of whom volunteered to take the trip. >> they experienced exactly what communities in texas experience every single day. >> governor abbott is quite angry about how presidet biden has handled the border issues generally, and he is trying to respond with as dramatic as action as he can to try to literally drop as many migrants as he can at the doorsteps of congress and of the white house. there are a lot of people in texas that would rather see people in washington, d.c. deal with these undocumented immigrants than people in their friends and neighbors in texas. >> but those opposed to the governor's tactics, including immigration advocates in the biden administration say this is all just political theater. as the first bus dropped off migrants a the doorstep of fox news, nbc news, and c-span. but there has been perhaps an

unintended consequence to the governor's plan. >> these are all migrants who have been processed by cbp and are free to travel. so it's nice the state of texas is helping them get to their final destination. >> many who have taken the bus just thankful for the free ride. >> some not even knowing who governor abbott is. >> do you feel like you're being used by governor abbott as part of a political stunt? >> part of me doubted for political reasons. the other part of me said to myself this is fantastic. it's fantastic that the governor is going to provide bus transportation at the state's cost and the meals that go with

it as they travel to washington, d.c. >> rubin garcia is the director of enunciation house, one of the largest migrant shelters in the texas border. what do you say he has resorted to this measure, putting people on buses to d.c. >> the real question you should ask the republican party, the democratic party is why don't you pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill that looks realistically at what is happening in terms of our immigration policy. >> all this unfolding as the white house is set to roll back the trump era pandemic order known as title 42. >> it gives authority to the federal government to essentially turn back persons and property at the border in light of public health concerns. title 4 would was never intended to remake or rethink the system.

if that's the problem, that is something is that should be addressed to congress to rework with the asylum system. >> but title 42s impending rollback has many conservatives sounding the alarm over a potential influx of migrants coming over the border, even leaving some democrats concerned. the department of homeland security is now bracing for as many as 18,000 migrants per day at the southern border when title 42 is revoked. >> for those who would say well, if we don't want to see a surge, then keep title 42 in place. >> then i would say to them, go to congress and pass the legislation that will give you what you want. but do not use a pandemic provision as if you're doing this because of covid when it doesn't have anything to do with covid. >> it's a sobering reality

debated a the highest levels of our government, but it's experienced by only a few who see this land as not just land, but a way of life. >> you tm hi? >> hi. >> hi. >> you truly feel freedom out here. there is always something new out here. and i don't know. brothers caleb and cole hill are many things. they're fathers, husbands, and third generation cattle ranchers whose lives here on texas' southern border reflect the virtues of life's simple joys, my life and little girl, they enjoy ranching. my little girl loves being out. >> good job, girl. >> she loves being out, helping with the cows, feeding the horse, just being out here. >> great job. >> but caleb and cole say their small slice of americana has been upended by crime they say comes in a rise in legal board crossings.

>> we've had multiple houses broken in. they kick windows in, doors in. >> same for everybody out here. you never, ever would think you would be a victim of any kind of crime with this lifestyle. but everybody has encountered it over the last year. >> the brothers say it's been a costly ordeal. not just in their peace of mind, but in their wallets. >> you're always working on something. i know most of our time is pretty much consumed checking fences, making sure there is not holes cut in the fence for livestock to get out or for wildlife to get out, you know. it's just amazing how much damage they can do to a fence. >> they place the blame squarely on the president. it's a situation that's quickly becoming a political gordian knot for the biden administration. if you live in and around the u.s. border with mexico, these are not abstract issues. to a lot of people, democrats and republicans both in border communities, a surge in migrants means an uptick in social service spending, needing to deal with people that need jobs and housing, knowing that there could be other crimes committed

along the way. it's a real issue. >> the everyday refugee type person, there are absolutely a lot of just good, honest people who are coming over here truly for a better life. we're so lucky that we've never had to -- we have no idea what they're fleeing, right? to that mother, i say i wish that we had an easier system in place for you to get here without having to go through the cartels. >> there seems to be two unmistakable truths. many migrants are fleeing dangerous conditions, desperately seeking better lives. but it's wreaking havoc for some americans living close to the border. up next, fashionistas, beware. how what's in your closet may be harming the environment. we're with a company trying to change that. ♪♪ in the future we'll travel to incredible places with the help of magical technology.

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as we mark earth week, it may come as a surprise to many that the fashion industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. but now some in the business are trying to change that by recycling and protecting the environment. here is abc's zohreen shah. >> from the catwalk to the stores, to your closet. keeping up with the latest styles fuels a global industry. >> this is probably about 50 to 60,000 pounds. >> but there is a dark side to our consumption. what you deon't see is this,

garbage bags filled with discarded and unused fabric. mountains of waste from the fashion industry's design process. thinking pile behind us right here is actually all the recycling materials that we pick up from our partner brands. >> at this nondescript site in brooklyn, one company, fad scrap, has a mission, to keep any fabric they can from landing in landfills. it's estimated that fashion contributes up to 10% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. more than international flights and maritime shipping combined. >> i don't think it's a secret that the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters on the planet. and not just in terms of the material use, the material waste, but also in the way that it uses labor and uses human power. >> much of that carbon footprint is generated by clothing production, often made in developing countries, and then shipped abroad, worn, and eventually tossed out. >> 12% of all textile waste happens during the design and production phase of making a

garment. and that's where we work. and that is millions and millions of pounds. >> here at fab scrap, they're working to cut down clothing waste. >> it's not so much the co2 that degrades. it's the co2 savings of not having to make new cloth. >> mark jacobs and others pay fab scrap to collect, sort, recycle and reuse what they can. it's a painstaking process. >> every bag is pretty much a surprise. you never know what types of fabrics will be in it. this one seems to have a l fabric headers and swatches. >> volunteers go through each bagby hand. materials like cotton, wool and polyester get shredded and turned into a product called shoddy. thinking gets repurposed into different types of insulation. for doors and walls. you can have it for moving blankets or flooring. >> other materials are put up

for resale. they estimate they have kept nearly a million pounds of waste out of landfills since it was founded in 2016. but that's not nearly enough. 85% of textiles in the united states end up in landfills or are incinerated. >> we're doing what we can where we're at with what we have. globally, though, i think that's a drop in the bucket and there is a lot of work to be done. >> the fashion industry has grown exponentially in the last 20 years. now a $2.5 trillion industry that employees 75 million people worldwide. that growth fueled in part by fast fashion, inexpensive trendy clothing, much of it not made to be a wardrobe staple. >> we're making too much of stuff. we end up having 90% of clothing that is thrown out well before the end of its useful life. >> why is it problematic? >> it's almost at this point become mass produced disposable clothing. that really is chasing a trend.

>> the clothing brand reformation is worn by celebrities like jessica alba, kendall jenner and kelly ripka. >> i know who i'm wearing. you want the say it? this is ref formation. the company is working to buck the fast fashion trend. >> we're focused on making limited collections. if you can make smaller collections and only make more based on the consumer demand, you don't have that end of season waste. >> we met ceo halle borenstein kathleen talbot at one of reformation stores. >> we have 100% traceability. >> the l.a.-based brand has been betting big that being sustainable can also be profitable. >> if something could be more expensive, how do you do this and still stay profitable? >> we set out early on to determine and to prove out that you can both be a profitable

business and be sustainable. because by definition, it's not sustainable to lose money, right? >> they look for greener alternatives like cutting down on the use of synthetics. >> we actually don't allow for synthetics in a lot of the categories that would be machine washed or where we think we have a good natural alternative. >> 60% of all new clothing on the market are made with synthetic fibers, derived from fossil fuels. >> for synthetics, it will take over 200 years for it to biodegrade. just like throwing plastics away. it's the same thing. >> another method using excess fabric others would have thrown away. >> 15% of our product today is made with dead stock. and dead stock is really fabric that is end of life. it was produced and is not currently being used. it has no dedicated purpose right now. >> in a rare glimpse at their l.a. factory, talbot shows us an outfit made entirely out of dead stock thinking adorable skirt is actually dead stock. so this is overordered excess

fabric that we were able to transform into a very cute skirt. >> workers on the factory floor incorporate unused old fabrics into trendy new styles as well as reimagining vintage clothing for resale. >> this is a great example where they're going update it and make it look and feel more relevant today. so they're going to change the hem line and add some lace. >> do you think there is a responsibility as a whole when it comes to protecting the environment? >> i think consumers are really demanding the change. so when we started putting social posts up ten years ago on instagram about sustainability, there was no engage. today it's our most engaged web post. so it's a really big change that's already happened. >> we know to mitigate climate change, we have to collectively half our emissions in the next decade. >> by showing it can be done, reformation hopes to help push their industry into a more sustainable future.

>> i don't think there is a choice anymore. i think brands are either going to survive are going to do the right thing and put the investment in. >> our thanks to zohreen. up next, look who is turning 50. well, sort of. the pandas at the national zoo celebrate in style. if your moderate to severe crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms are stopping you in your tracks... choose stelara® from the start... and move toward relief after the first dose... with injections every two months. stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. feel unstoppable.

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and finally tonight, relations between the u.s. and china have become increasingly tense, but panda diplomacy is still alive and well and

celebrating 50 years since the first pandas arrived a the national zoo from china. the current occupants took about 50 minutes to demolish a cake made from frozen fruit juice, sweet potatoes and sugar cane in honor of the occasion and five decades of cooperation between china an the united states to help save the giant pandas from extinction. i don't know about you, but i'm going the pass on that recipe. that's "nightline" for this evening. you can catch full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.