Several Democratic mayors in cities struggling with an influx of immigrants from the southern border warned that their areas are reaching full capacity in their latest plea to the federal government for assistance.
Mayors Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Eric Adams of New York, and Mike Johnston of Denver held a virtual news conference Wednesday night asking for increased coordination with Texas as the state continues to send busloads of immigrants to Democratic-led cities.
TWELVE DAYS OF WEX-MAS: HOW SERIOUS IS BIDEN ABOUT FIXING THE BORDER IN 2024?
The mayors blasted Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who began busing immigrants to Chicago, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and other areas in April 2022.
“We cannot allow buses with people needing our help to arrive without warning at any hour of day and night,” Adams said during the conference, via the Associated Press. “This not only prevents us from providing assistance in an orderly way, it puts those who have already suffered in so much in danger.”
As more asylum-seekers continue to arrive by bus in the Chicago suburbs, Johnson warned that the mayors are running out of housing options and resources.
“All of our cities have reached a point where we are either close to capacity or nearly out of room,” Johnson said.
Over 26,000 immigrants have arrived in the Windy City since August 2022. Chicago continues to accept buses of immigrants but has imposed heavy restrictions on when and where arrivals can take place.
Buses must drop off during approved weekday hours, and city officials designated a specific migrant drop-off zone in Chicago’s West Loop, with arrivals limited to two per hour. The city is suing bus companies and approved penalties on Dec. 13 to impound buses and fine owners $3,000 if they do not follow Chicago’s rules limiting the time and frequency of arrivals.
Since Chicago began installing these penalties, city officials have said bus drivers are beginning to head into the suburbs and drop immigrants at unauthorized places to work around the restrictions. Most recently, buses dropped off at a Naperville Metra transit station and sent immigrants into Chicago via train.
“The lack of care that has been on display for the last year and a half has created an incredible amount of chaos,” Johnson said.
Adams said New York plans to place similar restrictions on buses unloading immigrants into the city. He announced an executive order on Wednesday requesting that buses only arrive between 8:30 a.m. and noon on weekdays at a single drop-off site. If not, the bus companies face fines or impounding, as well as lawsuits.
Over 161,000 immigrants have arrived in New York and sought aid since spring 2022, including 4,000 just last week, Adams and other officials said earlier this week.
Denver, which has received over 35,000 immigrants over the last year, also has weekday drop-offs limited to specified hours. The mayors pointed to the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on immigrant housing, transportation, medical care, and other forms of assistance.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“It will crush city budgets around the country,” Johnston warned.
Abbott’s administration has previously warned that it will continue taking “historic action” by busing immigrants to Democratic-controlled cities until President Joe Biden’s administration secures the southern border.
