Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot slams Texas Governor Abbott as a ‘man of no morals’ after sending migrant buses

Democrat Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot slammed Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday afternoon, calling him “a man of no morals” after sending two buses of migrants to his city’s Union Station on Wednesday night.

Lightfoot made the comments during a press conference with city leaders and local partners.

“Let me say loud and clear to Greg Abbott and his enablers in Texas with these continued political stunts, Governor Abbott confirmed what sadly many of us already knew, that he is a man with no morals, humanity or shame,” Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot also said Abbott chose to “inhumanely load them onto buses” and send them to Chicago without “any consideration for next steps.”

Seth Christensen, chief of media and communications with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, told Fox News the migrants were on an air-conditioned bus and had been given food, water and security.

TEXAS SHIPS MIGRANT BUSES TO CHICAGO FOR FIRST TIME, DROP OFF AT STATION

“These are human beings, moms and dads, young children, elders, who deserve our respect and dignity. They are not commodities. They are not personal property. They are human beings, everything like you and me,” she said. “Governor Abbott’s racist and xenophobic deportation practices have only amplified the challenges many of these migrants have encountered on their journey to find a place of safety. The Governor’s actions are not only inhumane, they are unpatriotic.”

The Chicago mayor added that the bus company that had been contracted by Texas to make the trip to Chicago was “equally complicit in being part of this indignity.”

Abbott made the decision to send two migrant buses to Chicago on Wednesday, which arrived at Union Station in the city at 7:30 p.m., carrying migrants who illegally crossed the southern border.

More than 75 migrants were on the two buses, according to Lightfoot. Many migrants said they were from Venezuela when they exited the bus.

FIRST MIGRANT BUS FROM TEXAS ARRIVES IN NYC

Abbott said in a statement after the buses arrived at Union Station that Chicago would now be a “drop-off location” for future migrant buses in response to President Biden’s “open border policies burdening border communities across the country.” Texas”, joining New York and Washington DC

“President Biden’s inaction on our southern border continues to put the lives of Texans – and Americans – at risk and overwhelms our communities,” Abbott said. “To continue to provide much-needed relief to our small, overrun border towns, Chicago will join the other sanctuary cities of Washington, D.C., and New York as an additional drop-off location. Mayor Lightfoot likes to tout his city’s responsibility to welcome all, regardless of their legal status, and I look forward to seeing that responsibility in action as these migrants receive resources from a sanctuary city with the capacity to serve them.”

Lightfoot said Thursday in response to questions from reporters that it was “my prayer” that Abbott would “find some humanity” and not continue sending migrant buses to Chicago, but said if he does said, “we are ready”.

“[Abbott] tries to create crises in Democrat-run cities to demonstrate his tenacity,” Lightfoot said.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Abbott’s publicist Renea Eze called Lightfoot an “utter hypocrite.”

“Where was his outrage and condemnation of President Biden as he flew planes full of migrants across the country and dropped them into communities under cover of night? Mayor Lightfoot knows nothing of the bus strategy of Texas and must stop the baseless lies and fearmongering.Texas continues to escalate and respond to the border crisis prompted by Biden, taking unprecedented action to address historic levels of illegal immigrants, terrorists and deadly drugs like fentanyl that are invading our communities and overwhelming border towns,” Eze said.

“If the mayor wants a solution to this humanitarian crisis, she should stop complaining and call on President Biden to take immediate action to secure the border, which the president continues to fail to do,” she added. .

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At Thursday’s press conference, Caleb Senn, Chicago area commander for the Salvation Army, said it was working with the city to provide assistance to migrants who arrived at Union Station Wednesday night.

“Our mission is to ensure that all people, whether they are in Chicago or Venezuela, are free from hunger and have a safe place to sleep,” Senn said. “We as The Salvation Army pray for these people who have come to our city and their families as they adjust to their new surroundings. And we will work to ensure they have adequate resources during their stay here.”

Fox News’ Timothy Nerozzi, Emma Colton, Liz Friden, Grady Trimble, Paul Best and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.