Democratic mayors renew pleas for federal help and coordination with Texas over migrant crisis

CHICAGO– The mayors of Chicago, New York and Denver on Wednesday renewed their calls for more federal aid and coordination with Texas amid the growing number of asylum seekers arriving in their cities by bus and plane.

The mayors’ requests come as American cities have struggled to manage the growing number of migrants sent from Texas and other states. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s bus operation has transported more than 80,000 migrants to Democratic-led cities since last year. His administration recently intensified this practice with chartered planes.

The mayors sharply criticized Abbott and the effort, saying buses arrive at all hours and outside designated drop-off zones, with no details about who is on board.

“We cannot allow buses with people who need our help to arrive unannounced at any time of the day or night,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a virtual news conference with the others. mayors. “This not only prevents us from providing assistance in an orderly manner, it endangers those who have already suffered so much.”

Chicago has cracked down on so-called “rogue” buses, with lawsuits, tickets and fines. In recent weeks, buses have tried to avoid penalties by making unscheduled deliveries in the suburbs, forcing local officials and authorities to intervene. Recently, a bus unloaded the migrants overnight at a gas station in Kankakee, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) away. from Chicago.

“The lack of attention that has manifested itself over the last year and a half has created an incredible amount of chaos,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. More than 26,000 immigrants have arrived in the city since last year.

Adams said New York City would implement rules similar to Chicago’s and announced an executive order Wednesday requiring buses to arrive only between 8:30 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday to a single drop-off site, or face fines, lawsuits or confiscation of buses. Denver has similar rules about weekday deliveries during specific hours.

In New York, more than 161,000 immigrants have arrived and sought help from the city since spring 2022, including 4,000 last week, Adams and other officials said earlier in the week.

Democratic mayors met with President Joe Biden last month after receiving a letter requesting more help. They want more federal funding, efforts to expand work authorization and a bus arrival schedule.

Cities have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars to house, transport and provide medical care to migrants.

“It will crush the budgets of cities across the country,” said Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. The city has received more than 35,000 immigrants during the last year.

New York City has offered immigrants one-way tickets to leave the city and travel to Latin America to discourage people from coming to the city. Members of the Johnson administration also went to border cities earlier this year in an attempt to open lines of communication.

Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to an email sent Wednesday. A spokesperson has previously said that the Abbott administration will continue to “take historic steps” until the Biden administration secures the border.

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Associated Press reporters Jennifer Peltz in New York and Paul Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.