CHICAGO (AP) — Seventy-five immigrants bused from Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott have arrived in Chicago, the most recent chapter of the bitter political battle over the immigration coverage of President Joe Biden’s administration.
From the archives (April 2022): Texas Gov. Abbott’s migrant bus discharges passengers at D.C. constructing housing Fox Information, NBC Information, C-SPAN
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s workplace confirmed that the group arrived on Wednesday evening and mentioned town welcomes them. The immigrants are being bused from Texas as a part of a technique launched by Abbott this yr to share the inflow of individuals from exterior the USA with liberal cities. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has additionally adopted this coverage.
“ ‘Chicago is a welcoming metropolis and as such has collaborated throughout numerous departments and businesses to make sure we greeted them with dignity and respect.’ ”
“Chicago is a welcoming metropolis and as such has collaborated throughout numerous departments and businesses to make sure we greeted them with dignity and respect,” Ryan Johnson, a Lightfoot consultant, mentioned in a tweet after the migrants started arriving at Union Station.
Along with his younger daughter perched on his shoulders, a father speaks with a police officer whereas ready for a metropolis bus to take the group to a Chicago refugee middle.
Anthony Vazquez /Chicago Solar-Instances/AP
Authorities didn’t specify the immigrants’ nations of origin or say once they arrived in the USA.
“As a metropolis, we’re doing every little thing we will to make sure these immigrants and their households can obtain shelter, meals, and most significantly safety,” Johnson mentioned in his assertion. “Sadly, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott 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 town to obtain these people.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker provided his help for the brand new arrivals. “Illinois welcomes refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants and we’re working with federal and metropolis officers to make sure that these people are handled with respect and security as they give the impression of being to attach with their household and buddies,” Pritzker mentioned on Twitter.
The Democratic governor drew on his household historical past in his welcome message. “My nice grandfather got here to this nation as an immigrant fleeing Ukraine in 1881. Immigrants similar to my household in search of freedom and alternative constructed this nation,” he tweeted.
Migrants cheer after boarding a CTA bus for the trip to a Chicago refugee middle.
Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Solar-Instances/AP
Abbott has now bused immigrants to Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. — all three cities have Democratic mayors. He confirmed in a press release that the “first group” had been bused to Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reported.
And he advised that extra can be arriving, saying in his assertion that Chicago has develop into a drop-off location as an answer to what he known as Biden’s “open border insurance policies overwhelming border communities in Texas.”
“Abbott has now shipped buses of immigrants to 3 cities since April: Washington, New York and Chicago.”
Abbott has been waging this battle for months and the mayors of New York and Washington have requested the Biden administration to assist with what they describe as a surge of asylum-seeking migrants arriving from border states.
The migrants are given McDonald’s burgers as they await the quick journey late Wednesday to a Chicago refugee middle.
Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/AP
Earlier within the yr, Abbott introduced that state troopers would cease and examine industrial autos crossing the U.S. Mexico border, a transfer he acknowledged would “dramatically sluggish” car site visitors close to the U.S. ports of entry. He later eased that plan after large gridlock on the border began to take an financial toll.
Learn on: New Mexico seeks to make hay from chaos created at Texas border by Gov. Abbott’s short-lived extra-inspections regime