Chicago Declares Illinois a ‘Welcoming State’ as 32 Migrants Come from Texas Border

Chicago, Illinois, on Wednesday welcomed 32 more migrants from the Texas border as the city signals Illinois is a “welcoming state.”

The city of Chicago said in a statement the families that arrived with shelter and support and connections as well as connections to community-based agencies.

It elaborated:

We have a responsibility to provide shelter, food, and medical care for each individual and family – many of whom walked hundreds of miles, navigating great danger through multiple countries, in pursuit of safety and opportunity in the United States. Illinois is a welcoming state.  We are committed to assisting each family and individual, providing human services with respect and dignity.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) started delivering busloads of migrants to Chicago in September to provide relief to overwhelmed border towns.

“President Biden’s inaction at our southern border continues putting the lives of Texans—and Americans—at risk and is overwhelming our communities,” Governor Abbott said in a written statement in early September. “To continue providing much-needed relief to our small, overrun border towns, Chicago will join fellow sanctuary cities Washington, D.C. and New York City as an additional drop-off location.”

The city of Chicago’s statement on Wednesday drives a stark contrast from early September when Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said it was “immoral” and “unpatriotic” for Abbott to bus migrants from Texas to the midwest sanctuary city.

Lightfoot went so far as to say the bussing was “racist and xenophobic.”

“We received families, single men, a mix of folks from Latin America bused here inhumanly from Texas … we can disagree on policy and politics, but you don’t treat people this way,” the Chicago mayor explained to the Chicago Tribune.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.