Greg Abbott announced Wednesday the arrival of the first group of immigrants to be bused to Chicago from Texas. In addition to New York and Washington DC, Chicago will now be a delivery site to fulfill the Texas governor's strategy of responding to President Biden's immigration policies.
"To continue to provide much-needed relief to our small, overrun border cities, Chicago will join other sanctuary cities such as Washington, DC and New York City as an additional drop-off location," the release explained. "To Mayor Lightfoot, who loves to tout her city's responsibility to welcome everyone, regardless of their legal status, I look forward to seeing this responsibility in action when these migrants receive resources from a sanctuary city with the capacity to serve them," Abbott added, referring to the mayor of Chicago.
First bus of migrants from Texas to sanctuary city Chicago just arrived!
Migrants are flooding into our state at a historic rate, thanks to Pres. Biden's open border policies.
Texas will continue busing migrants until the President secures the border. https://t.co/FbvHqpbAwb
- Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) September 1, 2022
The buses arrived at Chicago's Union Station around 7:30 p.m. According to Fox News, they were carrying between 80 and 100 people, including about 30 children. Many of the immigrants reportedly came from Venezuela.
For his part, the director of communications for the Chicago mayor's office, Ryan Johnson, noted on social networks:
Chicago welcomes hundreds of immigrants each year to our city and provides much needed assistance. Unfortunately, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has no shame or humanity, but since implementing these racist removal practices, we have been working with our community partners to prepare the city to receive these people.
Johnson further added, "We know that racism, discrimination and human cruelty have played a major role in the way immigrants are received within our borders, and we are still working to recover from the previous presidential administration, which encouraged this behavior. This is such an important moment for Chicago as a city that has been a sanctuary for thousands of newcomers. We are welcoming them and will not turn our backs on those who need our help the most."
We know that racism, discrimination, and human cruelty have played a pivotal role in how immigrants are received within our borders, and we are still working to recover from the previous presidential administration, which encouraged this behavior. https://t.co/jt2Nl1O31T
- Ryan Johnson (@Ryan_Johnson) September 1, 2022
The post was retweeted by Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot.
Nearly 9,000 immigrants sent to New York and Washington
By order of Governor Greg Abbott, nearly 9,000 immigrants have been bused to New York and Washington from Texas in recent months to protest the immigration policies of Joe Biden's administration.
A few days ago Abbott offered an assessment of the immigration crisis: "Texas has also bused more than 7,400 migrants to our nation's capital since April and more than 1,500 migrants to New York City since August 5. The busing mission is providing much needed relief to our overwhelmed border communities."
The Texas governor stated that he will continue to transport migrants until the president secures the border.
Abbott lamented a few weeks ago "the hypocrisy of New York City Mayor Eric Adams complaining about the arrival of migrants by bus from Texas to his sanctuary city." The governor invited Mayor Adams and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to the Texas border. The goal was to show them the migration crisis "firsthand." But the mayors did not accept the invitation and refused "to acknowledge the magnitude of the problem," according to Abbott. The local governer also said: "Eric Adams is all talk when it comes to open borders."
