Brandon Johnson has criticized Greg Abbott for flying migrants to the Windy City – despite previously portraying it as a haven for the undocumented.
The ultra-progressive Democratic mayor accused the Texas governor of being “determined to continue sowing the seeds of chaos” by sending them to him.
He also tried to portray the city's worsening refugee crisis as Abbott's fault for the lack of coordination in relocating the migrants.
It comes just months after he claimed during the March campaign trial that Chicago would not have an immigration problem if he were elected.
“Chicago must lead and deliver on the promise of being a sanctuary city.” Longtime Chicagoans don’t have to lose for newcomers to win—there’s enough room at the table for all of us to sit and eat. “Immigrants are welcome here,” he wrote on March 10.
Progressive Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is being accused of portraying the Windy City as welcoming to migrants while continuing to blame Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for causing chaos by letting them into his city sent
Johnson has blamed others for the crisis, but made clear in a post he wrote during his mayoral campaign in March that he believed Chicago would have no problem accepting the migrants
A user on X wrote after the post resurfaced: “This tweet hasn't aged well, has it?” “Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson better buy a bigger table if he's still planning on feeding all these migrants.”
Speaking on CBS' “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Johnson continued to complain about the chaos he said Abbott had wrought on him, calling the governor “scared and crazy.”
“We have said repeatedly that Congress must act to provide the resources necessary to carry out this mission,” Johnson said.
“But what we can't have is a governor in the state of Texas who behaves the way he behaves and, quite frankly, the rogue buses being dropped off across this country in the middle of the night and the people without real Leaving money behind.'No support at all, no coordination with local communities.'
He then accused Abbott of trying to divide Americans over the crisis.
“This type of chaos is certainly dividing our country, and we need better coordination between all levels of government to respond to this mission.”
“This is certainly not just about our national security, but it is the type of chaos that this governor wants to wreak,” Johnson added.
Renae Eze, a spokeswoman for Abbott, called out Johnson and Denver Mayor Mike Johnson, who appeared with him in the interview, for their hypocrisy.
Johnson, a Democrat, has blamed everyone from his predecessor Lori Lightfoot to the Biden administration and Texas Republicans for his city's difficulty caring for thousands of migrants
A migrant flight from San Antonio to Illinois lands at Chicago Rockford International Airport
A man walks through a small migrant tent community on the north side of Chicago
Maria Silva, 22, from Venezuela, carries her belongings to a bus in front of the 6th district police station before being taken to a shelter with other migrants who had been there
“They are now going to extreme lengths to avoid fulfilling their self-declared sanctuary city promises, and yet they remain silent as President Biden transports migrants across the country, often under the cover of night,” Eze said.
“Instead of attacking Texas’ efforts to provide relief to our overwhelmed border communities, these Democratic mayors should be calling on their party leader to finally do his job and secure the border – something he continues to refuse to do.”
Chicago has spent $138 million on the crisis, which is expected to worsen as temperatures fall over the winter.
Earlier Sunday, Johnson said on CNN that about 15,000 asylum seekers had been packed into 27 shelters across the city after arriving on buses from the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly Texas.
Abbott has sent more than 25,300 migrants to Chicago on buses and, more recently, charter flights since August 2022.
About 10,000 migrants cross the border every day and many of them are sent to “sanctuary cities” such as Chicago, New York and Denver.
Chicago has spent $138 million on the crisis, which is expected to worsen as temperatures fall over the winter
Johnson said he appreciates the federal government issuing work permits to provide jobs to immigrants so they can make a living.
But he warned: “Without significant investment from our federal government, not only will the city of Chicago be unable to sustain this mission.”
“Now the whole country is at stake.”
He railed against Joe Biden again by calling for “real, substantive immigration reform and policies that allow us to have a structure and a path to citizenship.”
The mayor claimed that since his election seven months ago, poor coordination between federal, state and local governments has worsened the crisis.
“I tried to bring some structure and calm to this situation instead of chaos, and without any significant government support.” “That is not sustainable,” he said.
“We're talking about individuals who, quite frankly, had to endure miles, even thousands of miles of betrayal to get to the border.”
“And what we’ve seen is that lack of coordination has caused tremendous stress.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has blamed both the Biden administration and Texas for his city's difficulty caring for thousands of migrants
Johnson said about 15,000 asylum seekers have been packed into shelters across the city after arriving on buses from the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly from Texas
Hundreds of asylum seekers remain temporarily at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago
One example of this was Abbott loading as many immigrants as possible onto buses and sending them to Illinois without warning.
Chicago attempted to require them to arrive at certain locations during business hours and confiscated buses that did not follow these rules.
But bus companies responded by dropping off migrants up to 60 miles from Chicago, and Abbott began sending them on charter flights.
Texas has so far spent $86.1 million sending migrants to “sanctuary cities” across the country, about $1,650 per person.
“What the state of Texas is doing is not helping the cause in any way,” Johnson said last week.
“As much as we recognize that there are significant challenges at the border … sending buses across Illinois and across the country is reckless and, quite frankly, dangerous.”
A young migrant girl eagerly shows what she made of the overnight snowfall in a small tent community in Chicago
Chicago's mayor claimed that since his election seven months ago, poor coordination between federal, state and local governments has worsened the crisis
Johnson joined New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston later Wednesday in a coordinated attack on Texas and the federal government.
“We cannot do this alone, we need more support from the federal government and today we have a mandate and obligation to ensure that our respective cities do our part and we need the federal government to step in and more financial support provides,” he said.
“All of our cities have reached a point where we are either near capacity or almost out of space.
“Without significant intervention from the federal government, this mission will not be able to be maintained.”
Johnson said the random arrival of “rogue buses” from Texas “caused incredible chaos” that hurt the local economy.
'[They are] “Families are literally being dropped off in the middle of nowhere,” he said.
“These families have experienced great political unrest and traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to get to the border without any real care or treatment and without any system in place.”
“The illegal buses and now the charter flights are not only unsafe, but also inhumane.” That is why we are not only calling on the federal government to provide support and resources to deal with this humanitarian crisis, but we also need better coordination at the border.
On December 19, migrants line up in El Paso to board the plane to Chicago
El Paso city officials have been working with state officials to bus more than 17,000 migrants out of the West Texas city
“The state of Texas has a responsibility to engage with communities across the country to help address this crisis.”
Texas migrant buses
- Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, DC since April 2022
- Over 31,200 migrants to New York City since August 2022
- Over 25,300 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
- Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
- Over 11,800 migrants to Denver since May 18th
- Over 1,200 migrants to Los Angeles since June 14th
Source: Governor Greg Abbott's office
Mayor Adams supported him on both counts, calling on Abbott to “stop using migrants as political pawns” but also calling on Biden to do much more to help.
“We cannot continue to do the job of the federal government… we must take action, and we must take action now,” he said.
“This is a national problem that has only been exacerbated by Governor Abbott’s cruel and inhumane policies and requires additional, national solutions.”
“The federal government must take responsibility and take a leadership role in this humanitarian crisis instead of leaving it to the cities and communities.”
Conditions at migrant shelters in Chicago have been under scrutiny since the death of five-year-old boy Jean Carlo Martinez Rivero on December 17.
Johnson claimed there was “no evidence that the condition of the shelter caused the death of this little boy.”
Volunteers, trying to help the asylum seekers as best they can, argue otherwise, submitting lists of concerns to city officials months before Jean's death.
Photos and videos at the shelter where he died showed 2,300 migrants crowded under a leaky roof in freezing temperatures.
One video showed a little boy with what appeared to be a bandage on his head, lying on a thin folding bed and distracting himself with a tablet.
Another image shows another child coughing and crying while his temperature is taken and volunteers examine him.
A third video showed water leaking from the roof and pooling on one of the beds.
Despite strict regulations penalizing charter buses loaded with migrants heading to Illinois, buses and planes carrying migrants are currently en route to Chicago, El Paso officials confirmed to .
Five-year-old Jean Carlo Martinez Rivero fell ill in the Pilsen refugee center and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital a few days later
Last week, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), which is responsible for transporting migrants, chartered its first flight carrying migrants to Chicago, avoiding increasing restrictions on when and where migrants can be dropped off.
“TDEM basically turned it around; They said if we have problems with buses, we'll send flights,” John Martin, who runs the Homeless Opportunity Center in El Paso, said in an interview with on Tuesday.
Migrants who don't have money to travel on to their final destination often choose to board one of Texas's buses headed to so-called sanctuary cities.
They sign a waiver stating that they voluntarily agree to be transported to New York City, Chicago, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Denver or Los Angeles.
From then on, the state takes over.