Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has called out Texas Governor Greg Abbott for continuing to ship busloads of migrants from the Lone Star State. Lightfoot said Abbott’s actions are “inhumane and dangerous” as Chicago does not have the resources to absorb more migrants.
Lightfoot sent Abbott a letter on Sunday, April 30, urging him not to send any more migrants. The Chicago leader said they received news that more individuals and families are being shipped to the city on Monday, May 1.
“Chicago is a welcoming city and we continue collaborating with county, state, and community partners to rise to this challenge,” Lightfoot stated. “The lack of confederation or coordination in an attempt to cause chaos and score political points has resulted in a critical tipping point.”
Since April 2022, Abbott has been sending charter buses filled with migrants to other cities, like Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York. He claimed the move was to help local officials whose communities are being overwhelmed by “hordes of illegal immigrants.” Lightfoot said Chicago has been receiving migrants since August 2022. She said they are caring for more than 8,000 men, women, and children with no resources of their own.
Nearly all the migrants have been in dire need of food, water, clothing, and medical care, Lightfoot stressed. Some of the individuals are women in active labor and victims of sexual assault, she said. Lightfoot shamed Abbott for not taking care of the urgent needs of the individuals while they were in Texas. Instead, she said they are being shipped across the country “like freight without regard to their personal circumstances.”
Lightfoot acknowledged she’s sympathetic to the significant challenges that border cities face. However, she added the situation in Chicago is “completely untenable.”
“The national immigration problem will not be solved by passing on the responsibility to other cities,” Lightfoot said.
Source: mysanantonio
