TEXAS — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Sunday sent a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urging him to stop his policy of busing migrants from his state to cities led by Democrats, including the Windy City.
On Monday, Abbott responded to Lightfoot with a letter of his own, saying the problem of illegal migration is “not a Texas problem — this is a problem for the entire United States of America.”
“I am, yet again, appealing to your better nature and asking you to stop this inhumane and dangerous action,” Lightfoot wrote. “Since we began responding to the arrival of migrants sent by your delegation in August 2022, we have shouldered the responsibility of caring for more than 8,000 men, women, and children with no resources of their own.”
Abbott has bused immigrants to Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. — all of which have Democratic mayors. In September 2022, he suggested more would arrive, saying that Chicago has become a drop-off location as a solution to what he called Biden’s “open border policies overwhelming border communities in Texas.”
Abbott, in his letter, said 8,000 migrants is nothing compared to what Texas, which borders Mexico, deals with.
“As the mayor of a self-declared sanctuary city, it is ironic to hear you complain about Chicago’s struggle to deal with a few thousand illegal immigrants, which is a fraction of the record-high numbers we deal with in Texas on a regular basis. Texas border towns like Eagle Pass, Brownsville, and Laredo—and even bigger cities like El Paso—cannot handle the flood of illegal immigrants rushing across our southern border,” he wrote.
Lightfoot said that the migrants bused to Chicago arrive with nothing and frequently require medical attention — which they don’t receive in Texas.
“Nearly all of the migrants have been in dire need of food, water, and clothing and many needed extensive medical care,” Lightfoot wrote. “Some of the individuals you placed on buses were women in active labor, and some were victims of sexual assault. None of these urgent needs were addressed in Texas.”
The pandemic-era Title 42 policy is slated to expire on May 11. It’s expected that the expiration will prompt thousands of migrants per day to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. El Paso, Texas, on Monday declared a state of emergency in order to free up resources to deal with the expected migrant surge.
“These surges in illegal crossings will be accompanied by criminal activity, gang violence, and deadly drugs like fentanyl,” Abbott wrote. “These problems do not stay in border communities in Texas. They make their way all throughout the country, including to the streets of Chicago. Innocent Americans are put at risk every day by these open-border policies.”
Abbot concluded by again blaming the Biden administration’s policies for the migrant surge and telling Lightfoot that Texas will continue busing migrants until the administration does “its job.”
“To provide much-needed relief to our overrun border communities, Texas began busing migrants to sanctuary cities such as your 'Welcoming City,' along with Washington, D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia, with more to come. Until Biden secures the border to stop the inflow of mass migration, Texas will continue this necessary program,” he wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.