Chicago’s mayor has warned that thousands of migrants could arrive in the city ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
Previous predictions that more than 20,000 migrants would arrive in the city appear to have been tempered, but Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration still expects several hundred more ahead of the convention, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office has confirmed they will arrive by bus.
“Until President Biden and Border Commissioner Harris are up and running with border security, Texas will continue to bus migrants to sanctuary cities across the country, like Chicago, to provide much-needed relief to overwhelmed border towns,” Abbott’s office said. He told the Daily Mail this week.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke at a press conference at the United Center ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Realistically, we’re expecting at most 750 to 1,000 new arrivals next week,” said Andre Gordillo, director of the New Vecinos program, a migrant advocacy group.
Most of the migrants entering Chicago are transferred there by the Texas government, which is trying to ease the economic and social burden of rampant illegal immigration in the border city.
Before the conference, Chicago’s Deputy Mayor for Immigration, Beatriz Ponce de Leon, warned last month that the city could accept up to 25,000 migrants.
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Migrants, mostly from Central America, wait in line to cross the border into the United States at the Gateway International Bridge from Matamoros, Mexico to Brownsville, Texas, on June 4, 2024. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)
She walked back that dire prediction on Tuesday, telling reporters that such a large influx was no longer expected.
“At this time, we have no reliable information that there will be a surge in buses coming from Texas,” Ponce de Leon said. Chicago Tribune on tuesday.
Chicago is hosting the Democratic National Convention next week, and the much smaller expected arrival numbers are a relief to city officials.
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A billboard featuring US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, hangs outside the United Center, site of the Democratic National Convention. (Joe Raedl/Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are scheduled to accept the Democratic presidential and vice presidential nominations at the convention.
Addressing the nation’s rampant illegal immigration problem remains one of the most important issues for voters across the country.
