UPDATE: This story has been updated to include a statement from Gov. Abbott’s office.
Democrat Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday that she’ll be traveling to Washington, D.C., to request support from the Biden administration in the wake of her city receiving illegal migrants bused from Texas.
“I’m going to Washington later this week and gonna be sitting down with some of the folks and describe for them what the conditions are on the ground here in Chicago, but also make sure that federal help is coming, not just to Chicago, but in all the cities and states that are welcoming cities and states to make sure that we’ve got the resources that we need,” Lightfoot said. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott began busing illegal migrants to Chicago at the end of August after doing the same with Washington and New York City. (RELATED: Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Pledges To ‘Drain Texas Of All Of Its Residents’ Amid Abbott’s Busing Effort)
The city said on Aug. 31, it had received 100 illegal migrants. The Windy City mayor added that she’d also be happy to begin talks with Abbott, who she claimed hasn’t reached out to her yet.
“We talk with our federal partners on a regular basis individually through briefings,” she said. “And not only our federal legislative partners, but we have been talking to folks at the White House.”
Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze said the Biden administration’s support needs to be given to those dealing with the issue from the frontlines of the border.
“Mayor Lightfoot is a hypocrite. She represents a self-declared sanctuary city, yet she’s complaining about a few hundred migrants being bused into her city,” Eze told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Any federal support needs to be sent to the center of the crisis at our southern border, not sanctuary cities like Chicago which is only experiencing a fraction of the historic level of illegal immigrants Texans deal with every single day. If Mayor Lightfoot wants a solution to this crisis, she should call on President Biden to take immediate action to secure the border—something the President continues failing to do,” she added.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have both criticized Abbott for burdening their cities’ resources.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at a news conference in Austin, Texas, U.S., June 6, 2017.
Lightfoot alleged during a Sept. 4 press conference that Abbott is “manufacturing” a “human crisis” with his busing effort.
Abbott added Chicago to the list of busing destinations because it’s a “sanctuary city” for illegal migrants.
“Mayor Lightfoot loves to tout the responsibility of her city to welcome all regardless of legal status, and I look forward to seeing this responsibility in action as these migrants receive resources from a sanctuary city with the capacity to serve them,” Abbott said in a statement when he announced the addition.
Between October and July, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) authorities have encountered over 1,900,000 migrants at the southern border with many months topping records.
Lightfoot’s office nor the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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