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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been dealing with a huge increase in people trying to cross the border. Now he is spreading the burden to sanctuary cities like Chicago.
A group of 50 immigrants arrived by 4 p.m. on Sunday, joining the 79 from last Wednesday. Gov. Abbott plans to continue sending more groups of families to cities like Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York. The first group was mostly Venezuelans, a group not accepted for re-entry into Mexico. Strained diplomatic relations with Venezuela make it hard to return them to their home country so they are stuck in limbo.
Chicago’s Mayor Responds
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has criticized Gov. Abbott for “manufacturing a human crisis” by sending buses full of asylum seekers without warning.
We have yet to hear from anybody in an official capacity from Texas; that’s unacceptable. We’re talking about human beings’ lives who have themselves gone through an incredible journey just to get to the United States.
Lightfoot decided to welcome these people with open arms and encouraged her constituents to do the same. She wants to build a support system for any migrant in adjusting to new life in Chicago. When they arrived, the newcomers were directed to shelters and agencies to help find homes and work according to local leaders. City officials have created a website, chicago.gov/support, for donated money and supplies from residents to help the newcomers. The mayor’s office is reaching out to state and county officials to help care for the new migrants. Nonprofit groups and activists have also partnered with the city to gather resources for the new arrivals.
Organizations like the Erie Neighborhood House provides health care and education services to low-income and immigrant families. It has been supporting immigrants from neighboring countries in Central America and from far-out nations like Ukraine and Afghanistan. CommunityHealth is a health center giving free services to Chicago’s low-income and uninsured. The center welcomed both temporary and permanent migrants, believing they deserve “access to essential health care at no cost.” Its external affairs director Laura Ciresi Starr stated volunteers are bilingual and the website is in multiple languages. The Southwest Collective organizes services like food giveaways and family events. A board member of the group, Adriana Vargas, is an immigrant herself and wants the best for fellow migrants.
Politics as Usual
Gov. Abbott has sent over 9,000 people to these destination cities as a test for President Joe Biden and other immigration-friendly leaders. He criticized these leaders in democratic-held areas of the country for promising that their cities will be safe havens for undocumented immigrants. Abbott wants his political peers to own up to these promises and help deal with the immigration crisis on the southern border. The Lone Star state has spent $12 million in its effort to bus migrants to the North and East Coast, according to the Texas Tribune. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey is also developing a similar plan of his own.
Migrants who come to Chicago will have some protections under city law. Their immigration status will not be reviewed and the federal government will not get a hold of their information. They can apply for a wide range of public services. Mayor Lightfoot expects Gov. Abbott to send more migrants to the city. She hopes people will stand with her to prepare a space for more to come.
We’re a welcoming city so we’re always gonna step up and do the right thing to make sure that migrants who are coming here to our city are well received.Â
Written by Chiagozie Onyewuchi
Sources:
Chicago Sun-Times: 50 more immigrants arrive in Chicago from Texas; by Emmanuel Camarillo
Block Club Chicago: Here’s How You Can Help Migrants Arriving In Chicago From Texas; by Leen Yassine
The Guardian: ‘They are human beings’: Chicago mayor welcomes migrants bussed by Texas; by Ed Pilkington
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Tony Webster’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of risingthermals’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
