Lightfoot sends letter to Abbott urging him not to send any more migrants

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) sent a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Sunday urging him to not bus any more migrants to Chicago, calling his move “inhumane and dangerous.”

“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,” Lightfoot wrote in the letter.

Lightfoot said that Texas was planning on sending more migrants to Chicago starting Monday, which she argued against, noting that Chicago does not have the resources to house more migrants. She said in the letter that since Chicago has responded to the arrival of migrants sent by Texas in August 2022, the city has cared for more than 8,000 people.

She wrote that Chicago has “no more shelters, spaces, or resources” to address another influx of migrants to the city.

She said that many of those migrants arrived in need of food, water and medical care, all of which she said Texas failed to address. She also pointed out that some of the migrants who arrived in Chicago were victims of sexual assault or in active labor and reiterated that those urgent needs were not addressed in Texas.

“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,” Lightfoot wrote. “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.”

This is not the first time Lightfoot has called on governors to cease bussing migrants to her city. She has previously blasted Abbott’s move to send migrants to Chicago, saying in September that the migrants sent from Texas were treated with a “lack of respect” and “lack of dignity.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) has also criticized bussing migrants to Democrat-led cities, saying earlier this year that it is “unfair” that local governments need to bear the burden of what he called a “national obligation.”

Lightfoot also emphasized that immigration is a “national challenge,” not a local one in her letter on Sunday.

“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,” she concluded.

The Hill reached out to Abbott’s office for comment.