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Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Encourages Texas Gov To Send More Illegal Migrants, Offers Busses To Pick Them Up

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is doubling down on a previous statement from last week regarding Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) sending illegal migrants to her city.

Lightfoot said she welcomes any and all migrants being bussed to the city from Texas and even offered to send buses to the Lone Star State to pick them up.

“I’m happy to take and drain Texas of all of its residents,” Lightfoot regarding the migrants at a press conference. “I wouldn’t want to live in a state with a governor like that.

“And we’ll rent the buses next time to bring ‘em here,” she added, Just the News reported.

Earlier, Lightfoot blasted Abbott and called the bussing of migrants to Democrat-run ‘sanctuary cities’ “a stain on the nation.”

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“This absolutely can not continue. We’ve got to rally together at this time, help these people that are in need. We shouldn’t be in this situation where families are thrown on buses,” she said, the outlet noted in a separate report.

Still, she said that Chicago will continue taking in all migrants sent there.

“We will make sure that none of these folks will be left in the lurch,” she said.

Abbott noted last week that his administration had sent the first busload of illegal migrants to Chicago, after sending migrants to Washington, D.C., and New York City as well. The GOP governor argued that doing so provides “much-needed relief” to Texas border communities that have been overrun by illegal immigration since early in President Joe Biden’s term.

Illegal crossings skyrocketed after Biden reversed most of former President Donald Trump’s immigration and border security policies on his first day in office.

“President Biden’s inaction at our southern border continues putting the lives of Texans — and Americans — at risk and is overwhelming our communities,” the Texas governor noted in a press release. 

In addition, Abbott appeared to taunt Lightfoot who he said “loves to tout the responsibility of her city to welcome all regardless of legal status.”

“Chicago is a welcoming city and as such has collaborated across various departments and agencies to ensure we greeted them with dignity and respect,” a spokesperson for Lightfoot’s office said in a statement, according to The Daily Wire. “As a city, we are doing everything we can to ensure these immigrants and their families can receive shelter, food, and most importantly, protection.”

The outlet said the statement went on to note that the Windy City welcomes “hundreds of migrants every year” and provides them with needed services.

“Unfortunately, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is without any shame or humanity,” the statement added. “But ever since he put these racist practices of expulsion in place, we have been working with our community partners to ready the city to receive these individuals.”

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In fact, Texas has been providing much more care and services to tens of thousands of illegal immigrants for more than a year — far more than any of the cities where Abbott has been sending migrants. Also, Texas is paying millions for bus services.

CNN noted:

The state of Texas has spent more than $12 million busing migrants to Washington, DC, and New York who crossed into the state from Mexico, according to figures from the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

A state government spreadsheet obtained by CNN through a Freedom of Information Act request shows that, as of August 9, Texas has paid $12,707,720.92 to Wynne Transportation, the charter service that is taking migrants to the two cities.

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Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s office has said migrants are transported out of state only with their written permission.

“Because Joe Biden is not securing the border, the state of Texas is having to step up and spend Texas taxpayers’ money doing the federal government’s job,” the governor said in April, CNN noted further.

The Daily Wire adds: “Texas officials had bussed more than 6,500 migrants to Washington, D.C., and New York City as of early August. Arizona has also bused about 1,000 migrants to other states.”

Customs and Border Protection announced last month that its agents and staff had encountered more than 2.2 million illegal migrants during fiscal year 2022 thus far.

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