Chicago mayor asks Texas to stop bussing migrants to her city, governor responds

Update: Texas Governor Greg Abbott is responding to Lori Lightfoot's letter. He is refusing to end his bussing policy.

"If you truly want to 'work together to find a real solution' to this border crisis gripping our nation, you must call on the Biden Administration to do its job by securing our border, repelling the illegal immigrants flooding into our communities, classifying the Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and intercepting the deadly fentanyl that is endangering our country," Abbott responded.

The governor goes on to claim that the influx of migrants is not a Texas problem, but a problem for the entire United States. "Texas began busing migrants to sanctuary cities such as your 'Welcoming City,' along with Washington, D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia, to provide much-needed relief to our overrun border communities. Until President Biden secures the border to stop the inflow of mass migration, Texas will continue this necessary program," Abbott stated.

Chicago calls it self a "Welcoming City," meaning it does not deny services to people based on their immigration status and does not require local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot sent a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott Monday urging him to do away with his policy of bussing migrants north.

Chicago and other major northern cities like New York and Washington, D.C. have previously been major destinations for those bus trips out of Texas. The trips made national headlines late last year when Texas experienced a major surge in migrants.

Opponents of the bussing policy argue that it is inhumane and dangerous. Proponents, meanwhile, say the bus rides help migrants reach their final destinations faster.

Title 42, the CDC health order put in place during the pandemic which allows the federal government to expel migrants, is scheduled to be lifted May 11. Local, state, and federal officials are scrambling to prepare for that day.

You can read Mayor Lightfoot's complete letter below.

"To Governor Greg Abbott,

The City of Chicago is aware that the State of Texas is planning to resume bussing individuals and families to cities throughout the United States, including Chicago, starting Monday, May 1st. I am, yet again, appealing to your better nature and asking that you stop this inhumane and dangerous action.

Since we began responding to the arrival of migrants sent by your delegation in August 2022, we have shouldered the responsibility of caring for more than 8,000 men, women, and children with no resources of their own. That number continues to grow. Nearly all the migrants have been in dire need of food, water, and clothing and many needed extensive medical care. Some of the individuals you placed on buses were women in active labor, and some were victims of sexual assault. None of these urgent needs were addressed in Texas. Instead, these individuals and families were packed onto buses and shipped across the country like freight without regard to their personal circumstances.

Chicago is a Welcoming City and we collaborate with County, State, and community partners to rise to this challenge, but your lack of consideration or coordination in an attempt to cause chaos and score political points has resulted in a critical tipping point in our ability to receive individuals and families in a safe, orderly, and dignified way. We simply have no more shelters, spaces, or resources to accommodate an increase of individuals at this level, with little coordination or care, that does not pose a risk to them or others.

I know by your actions that you either do not see or do not care about the trauma these migrants have already faced and continue to suffer under the humanitarian crisis you have created. But I beseech you anyway: treat these individuals with the respect and dignity that they deserve. To tell them to go to Chicago or to inhumanely bus them here is an inviable and misleading choice.

Though I am sympathetic to the significant challenges that border cities face, this situation is completely untenable. The national immigration problem will not be solved by passing on the responsibility to other cities.

I will continue calling on the federal government for more resources and support, as well as much needed policy changes, just as I will call upon them to withhold all FEMA funding slated for Texas if chartered buses resume coming to our city. But I would rather work with you than against you.

Governor Abbott, this is not a state v. state or city v. city problem. The immigration crisis is a national challenge that requires national collaboration. For the good of our country and the individuals who are seeking safety in refuge, let’s work together to find a real solution. And that real solution will never be the unilateral bussing of migrants to cities like Chicago."

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot