After months of sending immigrants who entered Texas through Mexico, Governor Greg Abbott has been bussing them to other cities. Recently, the migrants were bussed to Washington, D.C., and New York City. Then on Wednesday, Governor Abbott announced a new location where migrants will be sent - Chicago
A bus carrying 75 migrants arrived at Chicago’s Union Station according to the Chicago Tribune.
Abbott said:
“To continue providing much-needed relief to our small, overrun border towns, Chicago will join fellow sanctuary cities Washington, DC, and New York City as an additional drop-off location.”
“Mayor [Lori] Lightfoot loves to tout the responsibility of her city to welcome all regardless of legal status, and I look forward to seeing this responsibility in action as these migrants receive resources from a sanctuary city with the capacity to serve them.”
Governor Abbott has already angered the mayors of New York and Washington, D.C., Mayors Eric Adams and Mayor Muriel Bowser. Both mayors were overwhelmed with the migrants that strained their shelters. Both mayors have asked for assistance from the Biden administration and have been turned down.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was not pleased with Governor Abbott's decision.
Mayor Lightfoot said:
"This is not new; Chicago welcomes hundreds of migrants every year to our city and provides much-needed assistance. Unfortunately, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is without any shame or humanity. But ever since he put these racist practices of expulsion in place, we have been working with our community partners to ready the city to receive these individuals."
One immigrant who was bussed from Texas to Chicago William Mijares said:
"We just left Venezuela, went to Colombia, going through the jungle in Panama. We were not treated like humans. We were treated like the worst kind of people in the world and we don't understand why, but that's the way they consider us."
Since October, Texas has seen up to 1.8 million people enter their state through Mexico with many seeking asylum from their countries. Included in this group were also 81 terrorists trying to enter the country.
Do you think Chicago will face similar issues housing the newly arrived immigrants as New York and Washington, D.C. has?