The mayor of Chicago is warning that thousands of migrants could arrive in the city ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
While previous estimates of over 20,000 migrants arriving in the city seem to have been assuaged, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration still expects several hundred migrants ahead of the convention — arrivals via bus that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office has confirmed.
“Until President Biden and Border Czar Harris step up and do their jobs to secure the border, Texas will continue busing migrants to sanctuary cities across the country like Chicago to provide much-needed relief to our overwhelmed border towns,” Abbott’s office told the Daily Mail this week.
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Brandon Johnson, mayor of Chicago, speaks during a news conference at the United Center ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We realistically expect 750-1,000 new arrivals next week, if that,” said Andre Gordillo, the director of migrant assistance group New Vecinos Program.
The majority of migrants entering Chicago are transported into the city by the government of Texas, which is seeking to alleviate the economic and social burdens of rampant illegal migration into border towns.
Beatriz Ponce de León, the Chicago deputy mayor for immigration, warned last month that the city could receive as many as 25,000 migrants ahead of the convention.
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Migrants mostly from Central America wait in line to cross the border at the Gateway International Bridge into the U.S. from Matamoros, Mexico to Brownsville, Texas, on June 4, 2024. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
She walked back that grim prediction on Tuesday, telling reporters that such a massive influx is no longer expected.
“We at this point do not have any credible intel that there will be a large surge in terms of buses coming from Texas,” Ponce de León told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday.
The far lower numbers of expected arrivals is a relief to city officials as Chicago prepares to host the Democratic National Convention next week.
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A sign featuring Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic Vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz outside the United Center, the site of the Democratic National Convention. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are slated to accept the Democratic Party’s presidential and vice-presidential nominations at the convention.
A correction to the nation’s rampant illegal immigration problem remains one of the most important issues for U.S. voters across the country.
