Texas busing migrants: Those on bus sent by Gov. Abbott to Chicago want to start new lives

CHICAGO (WLS) — Migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border are waking up in Chicago Thursday morning.

They reached Union Station Wednesday evening, after being bused from Texas.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s workplace has stated migrants are transported out of state solely with their written permission. It’s not clear what different choices have been supplied to the migrants.

Now Chicago joins New York and Washington, D.C. in making an attempt to provide these individuals a brand new life. It was a reunion of pure pleasure for some.

One mom and father trekked from Venezuela with their two babies, seeking to discover household in Chicago and a greater life.

They had been among the many practically 60 migrants who arrived in Chicago Wednesday evening.

The person stated their journey was harrowing.

“We simply left Venezuela, went to Colombia, going by way of the jungle in Panama,” William Mijares stated. “We weren’t handled like people. We had been handled just like the worst form of individuals on the earth and we do not perceive why, however that is the best way they contemplate us.”

Abbott introduced Wednesday afternoon that he’d despatched the primary bus of migrants to Chicago.

For the migrants’ security, ABC7 Chicago blurred the faces of those that arrived in Chicago, except they gave permission to indicate them.

In an announcement, Abbott took a swipe at each President Joe Biden and Mayor Lori Lightfoot, saying partly, “President Biden’s inaction at our southern border continues placing the lives of Texans-and People-at danger and is overwhelming our communities.

“To proceed to supply much-needed aid to our small, overrun border cities, Chicago will be part of fellow sanctuary cities…as an extra drop off location. Mayor Lightfoot likes to tout the accountability of her metropolis to welcome all no matter authorized standing, and I look ahead to seeing this accountability in motion as these migrants obtain sources from a sanctuary metropolis with the capability to serve them.”

The Mayor’s Workplace stated the town is glad to welcome the migrants and to supply them with meals, shelter and safety, however added, “This isn’t new; Chicago welcomes a whole bunch of migrants yearly to our metropolis and gives much-needed help. Sadly, Texas Governor Greg Abbot is with none disgrace or humanity. However ever since he put these racist practices of expulsion in place, we have now been working with our neighborhood companions to prepared the town to obtain these people.”

One lady stated she’s a civil engineer, seeking a greater life within the U.S.

Talking in Spanish, she stated, “It took two months to get right here. All of my household remains to be there. The dictatorship, and there’s no meals. You’ll be able to’t dwell on a wage of $2 a month.”

For others, what comes subsequent is rather less sure.

“We simply arrived to Texas they usually received us onto our bus they usually stated somebody was going to be ready for us right here, however that was not true,” Mijares stated. “I can’t say it was a pleasant journey, but it surely was higher than what we had throughout our passing in South America.”

One other man who stated his identify is William stated he hopes to start out a brand new life.

“I wish to discover a job, simply to progress in a really secure nation. That is what we would like,” he stated.

Like so many individuals on these buses, he has six youngsters and a household to supply for.

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After their arrival, the migrants had been taken to a shelter in Chicago by way of CTA buses.

In an announcement, Gov. JB Pritzker welcomed the migrants, citing that his great-grandfather got here to this nation as an immigrant fleeing Ukraine in 1881.

The state of Texas has spent greater than $12 million busing migrants to Washington, D.C., and New York ,who crossed into the state from Mexico, based on figures from the Texas Division of Emergency Administration

A state authorities spreadsheet obtained by CNN by way of a Freedom of Info Act request reveals that, as of Aug. 9, Texas has paid $12,707,720.92 to Wynne Transportation, the constitution service that’s taking migrants to the 2 cities.

In a information launch Friday, Abbott’s workplace stated that “the busing mission is offering much-needed aid to our overwhelmed border communities.”

It’s often the accountability of launched migrants to cowl the price of their journey all through the U.S. as their asylum instances are pending in court docket. Nonetheless the state-chartered border buses have been offering free rides to the north-bound asylum-seekers for months.’

Texas has solicited personal donations to assist pay for the price of the bus journeys, however the state had solely acquired $167,828 as of Aug. 17. At a information convention in April asserting this system, Abbott acknowledged taxpayers had been more likely to find yourself with a part of the invoice.

State businesses have supplied conflicting figures for the precise variety of migrants that Texas has bused out of state, starting from 8,051 to 9,033. That quantities to a price of at the least $1,400 per migrant to move.

The CNN Wire contributed to this report