Chicago Bus First Bus Carrying Migrants From Texas Mexico Border Arrives In Illinois Officials Say

“To continue providing needed relief to our small, marginalized border cities, Chicago will join other sanctuary cities Washington, D.C. and New York as an additional transit location,” Abbott said in a statement. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot “loves to proclaim her city’s responsibility to welcome everyone regardless of legal status,” Abbott said, “and I look forward to seeing that responsibility in action as these immigrants receive resources from a sanctuary city with the ability to serve them.” When the Texas bus program was launched in April, Lightfoot tweeted: “I am appalled by the behavior displayed by Texas Governor Abbott.” In a statement Wednesday night, a Lightfoot spokesperson said, “Chicago is and will continue to be a welcoming city. We are working across parts of the city and with local, state and community partners to ensure that everyone who comes to Chicago are greeted and treated with dignity and respect.” City officials say temporary housing solutions will be found for those arriving from Texas and support will be provided. Abbott’s decision to send migrants elsewhere is the latest disaster in an increasingly strained relationship with the Biden administration over how to handle the thousands of people arriving at the country’s borders seeking asylum or entry. More than 8,000 asylum seekers — all of whom were willing passengers, Texas officials say — have traveled to New York and Washington as the state moves forward with “Operation Lone Star,” an initiative officials say is designed to better secure borders that have been under control since their inception. “Sending the buses provides much-needed relief to our devastated border communities,” the governor’s office said Friday. “Operation Lone Star continues to plug the dangerous loopholes left by the Biden administration’s refusal to secure the border.” New York has received record numbers of immigrants this week and more buses are expected, a spokesman for the mayor’s Office of Immigration told CNN on Saturday. Mayor Eric Adams and other city officials have accused the Abbott administration of forcing people onto buses and have complained about a lack of coordination. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN last week that Abbott’s efforts are gutting the federal immigration processing system and criticized the governor for not coordinating with federal authorities. Plans are underway to transfer immigrants to other cities from Texas, Abbott said, but did not specify Chicago in comments earlier Wednesday. Figures provided to CNN this week by the Texas Department of Emergency Management in response to an open records request showed the state had spent more than $12 million on the bus program as of Aug. 9. The governor’s office has asked for private donations to help cover the cost of the buses, but has only received $167,828 as of Aug. 17. Texas is not alone among state governments choosing to bus immigrants out of the country. Since May, more than 1,500 migrants on 43 buses have left Arizona for Washington, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s office told CNN. Depending on demand, the state sends buses to Washington at a rate of about two to three a week, the governor’s office said. CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez and Zenebou Sylla contributed to this report.

title: “Chicago Bus First Bus Carrying Migrants From Texas Mexico Border Arrives In Illinois Officials Say Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-17” author: “Andrew Corona”

“To continue providing needed relief to our small, marginalized border cities, Chicago will join other sanctuary cities Washington, D.C. and New York as an additional transit location,” Abbott said in a statement. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot “loves to proclaim her city’s responsibility to welcome everyone regardless of legal status,” Abbott said, “and I look forward to seeing that responsibility in action as these immigrants receive resources from a sanctuary city with the ability to serve them.” When the Texas bus program was launched in April, Lightfoot tweeted: “I am appalled by the behavior displayed by Texas Governor Abbott.” In a statement Wednesday night, a Lightfoot spokesperson said, “Chicago is and will continue to be a welcoming city. We are working across parts of the city and with local, state and community partners to ensure that everyone who comes to Chicago are greeted and treated with dignity and respect.” City officials say temporary housing solutions will be found for those arriving from Texas and support will be provided. Abbott’s decision to send migrants elsewhere is the latest disaster in an increasingly strained relationship with the Biden administration over how to handle the thousands of people arriving at the country’s borders seeking asylum or entry. More than 8,000 asylum seekers — all of whom were willing passengers, Texas officials say — have traveled to New York and Washington as the state moves forward with “Operation Lone Star,” an initiative officials say is designed to better secure borders that have been under control since their inception. “Sending the buses provides much-needed relief to our devastated border communities,” the governor’s office said Friday. “Operation Lone Star continues to plug the dangerous loopholes left by the Biden administration’s refusal to secure the border.” New York has received record numbers of immigrants this week and more buses are expected, a spokesman for the mayor’s Office of Immigration told CNN on Saturday. Mayor Eric Adams and other city officials have accused the Abbott administration of forcing people onto buses and have complained about a lack of coordination. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN last week that Abbott’s efforts are gutting the federal immigration processing system and criticized the governor for not coordinating with federal authorities. Plans are underway to transfer immigrants to other cities from Texas, Abbott said, but did not specify Chicago in comments earlier Wednesday. Figures provided to CNN this week by the Texas Department of Emergency Management in response to an open records request showed the state had spent more than $12 million on the bus program as of Aug. 9. The governor’s office has asked for private donations to help cover the cost of the buses, but has only received $167,828 as of Aug. 17. Texas is not alone among state governments choosing to bus immigrants out of the country. Since May, more than 1,500 migrants on 43 buses have left Arizona for Washington, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s office told CNN. Depending on demand, the state sends buses to Washington at a rate of about two to three a week, the governor’s office said. CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez and Zenebou Sylla contributed to this report.