Global Courant 2023-05-10 03:26:35
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a declaration of emergency Tuesday in response to illegal migrants sent to her city by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Lightfoot issued the emergency declaration following the arrival of 48 migrants on Tuesday, according to a press release, which said the city and state have provided emergency assistance to more than 8,000 migrants since August 2022.
“We all need to understand that this crisis is likely to deepen before we see it get better, so as we move forward, the City of Chicago will need to bring additional locations online to prepare for the arrival of more individuals and families and to to relieve the burden on the Chicago Police Department. Department districts,” Lightfoot’s office said. to the urgency of this issue. The city has continued to call on the federal and state governments to support the new arrival mission with much-needed additional funding and resources for emergency shelter and resettlement as there are currently not enough resources to meet the need.
Lori Lightfoot, Mayor of Chicago, speaks at a news conference in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Thursday, October 27, 2022. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The emergency declaration, signed by Lightfoot, says Chicago’s resources are “now being stretched to breaking point,” adding that hundreds of migrants are temporarily “hiding in police stations.”
LORI LIGHTFOOT PLEASE WITH GOV. ABBOTT STOP SENDING MIGRANTS TO CHICAGO: ‘DANGEROUS AND INHUMAN’
Video obtained by Matt Finn of Fox News shows what appear to be migrant families seeking shelter in Chicago’s 19th precinct. Migrants seem to sleep on the floor without proper access to showers or bathrooms.
Chicago’s leadership has boldly advertised the city as a haven for more than five years, despite not having enough resources to house migrants.
Lightfoot, who is only in office until May 15, also reserved the authority to call for a mobilization of the Illinois National Guard to deal with the migrant influx.
The state of emergency comes just days before Title 42 expires, which is expected to spark a wave of migrants to cross the United States’ southern border.
MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT LIVES OUT TO TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT AFTER 50 MORE MIGRANTS ARE BUSING TO CHICAGO
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and state officials listen to reporters at a news conference on Jan. 31, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Lightfoot sent a letter to Abbott in late April begging him to stop sending migrants to the sanctuary city.
“Nearly all migrants were in dire need of food, water and clothing and many required extensive medical care,” Lightfoot wrote. “Some of the individuals you placed on buses were women who were actively working, and some were victims of sexual assault. None of these pressing needs were addressed in Texas. Instead, these individuals and families were packed onto buses and transported across the country as cargo. regardless of their personal circumstances.”
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Migrants are directed from one bus to another after arriving from Texas at Union Station in Chicago on September 9, 2022. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Abbott began sending migrants to Chicago in response to “President Biden’s open border policies that overwhelmed Texas border communities.” The Republican governor has also sent migrants to New York City and Washington DC
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @asabes10.
