Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently sent a plane with more than 120 migrants to Chicago, Illinois, after the sanctuary city attempted to thwart the governor’s busing efforts.
Since last year, Abbott has relocated over 80,000 asylum-seeking migrants to Democratic-led cities in an effort to give the nation a glimpse into the severity of the ongoing migrant crisis caused by the federal government.
The flight left El Paso and arrived in Chicago on Tuesday.
Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott, stated Wednesday that the flight was in response to Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson’s attempt to thwart Texas’ busing effort. He accused Johnson of “targeting migrant buses.”
“Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue taking historic action to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis,” Mahaleris said.
Angelo Fernández Hernández, a White House spokesperson, criticized Abbott for flying migrants into Chicago.
“Yet again, Governor Abbott is showing how little regard or respect he has for human beings,” Hernández said. “This latest political stunt just adds to his tally of extreme policies which seek to demonize and dehumanize people.”
In November, Chicago implemented new rules concerning where and when the buses can drop off the asylum-seekers. The city recently filed 55 lawsuits against bus companies contracted to transport the migrants. The complaints accused 77 buses of violating the new regulations.
The rules state that only two buses can be dropped off per hour and must arrive Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Additionally, the bus companies must first seek approval from Chicago before dropping off the individuals.
Bus drivers who fail to comply with the city’s new parameters could face up to $3,000 in fines and have their buses impounded. Last week, the city impounded a so-called “rogue bus” that had attempted to transport 29 migrants into Chicago.
Cassio Mendoza, a spokesperson for Johnson’s office, accused the bus companies of endangering the migrants with “rogue, uncoordinated” drop-offs.
Despite Johnson’s attempt to disrupt Texas’ busing effort, the mayor insisted that the sanctuary city is still welcoming asylum-seekers. However, he noted that “the city cannot safely and efficiently shelter migrants when bus companies, contracted by the State of Texas, flagrantly violate all safety measures that the city has put in place.”
As a result of the city’s new restrictive measures, the bus companies stopped coordinating drop-off information with officials, according to Johnson.
Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, told the Chicago Tribune, “Obviously, they’re trying every way to work around this.”
“Since we’ve instituted the ordinance and the amendment, we have lost all communication with the border. They’re not sending us any notices,” Pacione-Zayas lamented.
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