Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) said over the weekend that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has been “attacking” Black-run cities across the country by sending illegal immigrants to those liberal regions.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson criticizes Abbott for flying migrants. Wait until he finds out what the feds has been doing for years… 👀
"Sending planes to Chicago or anywhere else that are funded by the government, this government of Texas, these private planes, without a… pic.twitter.com/7CzMCHC3rM
— Jennie Taer 🇮🇱🇺🇸 (@JennieSTaer) December 28, 2023
For the better part of the year, Abbott and some other Republican leaders have been sending bus-loads full of migrants to states and cities that are controlled by Democrats. He has argued that these regions, many of which claim to be sanctuary cities, should help shoulder the burden of the surge in illegal immigrants to the country’s southern border.
Many of the leaders in these liberal cities are realizing just how overwhelming the migrant crisis has become. New York City and Chicago are two cities that have struggled to keep up with providing enough resources and services for the migrants once they arrive.
These cities have responded by placing restrictions on bus companies that transport migrants from Texas, though the Lone Star State has found some workarounds.
In December, for instance, Texas flew more than 120 migrants to Chicago. That brought the total number of migrants sent from Texas to liberal-led cities to more than 80,000 since the effort first started in April 2022.
Johnson appeared on an MSNBC program with Al Sharpton on Sunday to discuss the burden the busing program has placed on his city.
“[Abbott] is attacking democratically-run cities, and particularly cities that are being led by Black leaders or leaders-of-color,” Johnson said. “This is unconscionable. It’s a very raggedy approach. And, quite frankly, not only is it reckless and raggedy, but it is evil-spirited.”
Johnson’s comments follow those made by New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) earlier in the year that Abbott was targeting cities that were run by Black leaders.
In many ways, where Abbott is sending the migrants is much less about the race of its leaders than it is about their status as a sanctuary city. These places have stated that they are safe havens for illegal immigrants, and they won’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agencies.
That’s why Johnson’s detractors have said this week that his claims of racism against Abbott are just dangerous rhetoric.
