Chicago’s Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot has caved after Gov. Greg Abbott bused migrants from Texas to her “sanctuary city” and has called in the National Guard to deal with the “crisis.”
Lightfoot and Illinois’s Democrat Gov. J. B. Pritzker handed Governor Abbott a huge win by calling in the National Guard to deal with a few hundred migrants.
Border towns in Texas are being flooded with tens of thousands of migrants while the federal government turns a blind eye to the crisis.
Lightfoot described the situation in Chicago as a “crisis” and announced that Pritzker has declared a “State of Emergency.”
“Since August 31st, the City has received approximately 364 migrants,” Lightfoot said.
“We expect this number to grow as more buses arrive in Chicago.
“The City along with County, State, & federal agencies are working together to welcome & coordinate the safe passage of all newly arriving migrants.
“We welcome Governor Pritzker’s declaration of a State of Emergency and need the resources the Governor can now provide, including the assistance of the National Guard, to respond to this crisis.
“As we learned during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Guard can help in setting up sites used for shelter, organizing the provision of basic needs like food and medical support, and assisting us with the movement of people from place to place.
“Governor Abbott’s political stunt continues to put lives at risk and add unnecessary trauma to the lives of people—human beings—who are simply trying to find safety and start a new life.
Neither he nor anyone else on his team in Texas has communicated with the City, which has confirmed what we’ve suspected all along.
“Governor Abbott is creating intentional chaos to reignite anti-immigrant sentiment and attempt to strain City systems—especially Sanctuary Cities.
“Unfortunately for him, his plan won’t work because here in Chicago and Illinois, we stand united to help migrants get the help, support, and resources necessary to build a better life for themselves and their families.
“I have already spoken with DHS, FEMA, and ICE to better understand this situation and have requested a plan from the federal government to support welcoming cities like Chicago.
“We will also ensure to communicate with suburban leadership if and when hotels are identified outside of Chicago to house migrants awaiting the next steps,” she said.
According to The Chicago Sun-Times:
Gov. J. B. Pritzker on Wednesday signed a disaster proclamation allowing the state to speed up procurement of resources for more than 500 immigrants who have come to Illinois on buses from Texas.
At a morning news conference, Pritzker also said he is calling in 75 Illinois National Guard members to help with infrastructure and services to handle the people being bused to Illinois by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
“This is not a time to demonize human beings,” Pritzker said.
“This is a time to live up to our values. And in Illinois, we will follow the moral compass that makes this one of the greatest states in the nation.”
