Over 3 months since the archetypal autobus of asylum-seeking migrants arrived successful Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and New York City Mayor Eric Adams penned a missive to Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, demanding the authorities halt bussing migrants to Chicago and New York.
The archetypal autobus of migrants arrived from Texas connected Aug. 31, with dozens much buses arriving successful Chicago since then. The bussing started arsenic portion of the arguable "Operation Lone Star" from Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has sent migrants to Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.
Additionally, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis flew asylum-seeking migrants to Martha's Vineyard this fall, an land portion of Massachusetts that is mostly known arsenic a summertime colony.
The missive from Lightfoot and Adams reads successful part:
“It is evident that the influx of asylum seekers has provoked consternation amongst states. Although we stock the concerns of accommodating the flood of asylum seekers, overburdening different cities is not the solution. We respectfully request that you cease and desist sending migrants to New York City and Chicago. Since December of 2022, Chicago and New York City person received hundreds of individuals from Colorado. Before the archetypal autobus arrived successful either of our cities, we informed a Colorado authoritative straight that neither metropolis had immoderate further country to accommodate immoderate much migrants due to the fact that of the thousands of migrants that had already been inhumanely bused to our respective cities from Texas since outpouring of 2022.”
As of the astir caller update fixed by metropolis officials connected Dec. 20, 2022, 3,854 asylum-seeking migrants person arrived successful Chicago from Texas. In the afloat letter, Lightfoot said that much migrants person arrived into the metropolis done different means, including buses from Colorado.
The missive from Lightfoot and Adams comes days aft President Biden announced tougher borderline restrictions, with Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants starting to beryllium immediately turned away astatine the confederate border.
In the past 9 months, much than 36,400 migrants person been processed done New York City's exigency intake system, adding that much were staying with family, friends and different networks, Adams said successful the letter.
Adams adds that New York City is estimated to walk $1 cardinal successful fiscal twelvemonth 2023 connected costs to code the asylum crisis, with the disbursal expected to turn with further exacerbation to the system.
The missive acknowledges New York and Chicago's presumption arsenic sanctuary cities portion criticizing Polis for not taking decisive enactment to assistance migrants who had arrived successful Colorado.
"Our knowing is that Colorado purports to beryllium a welcoming state. At slightest arsenic acold arsenic we are concerned, whether a welcoming authorities oregon welcoming city, the leaders indispensable marque definite that those values are lived successful bully times and particularly successful challenging times. That is what we person done and we impulse you arsenic politician of Colorado to bash the same. We cognize it is hard due to the fact that we person been facing these challenges for the past 9 months. Colorado indispensable reconsider its determination to nonstop people, who are sheltered and receiving services from Denver-based assemblage organizations, retired of state, and peculiarly to cities similar ours."
"We person seen your statements successful the media that you are simply accommodating the wishes of migrants to travel to cities similar New York City and Chicago. Both our cites are moving tirelessly to guarantee that migrants are capable to scope their desired destinations wherever they are reunited with loved ones. However, you are sending migrants and families to New York City and Chicago that bash not person immoderate ties, household members oregon assemblage networks to invited them, and astatine a clip wherever some cities are astatine maximum capableness successful structure abstraction and disposable services."
The missive past alleges that immoderate of the migrants sent to New York City and Chicago had been successful Colorado for weeks, immoderate of whom had established connections astatine that point.
"The metropolis of Denver is known nationally for providing immoderate of the champion services for unhoused populations—setting champion practices passim the country—it is antithetic that you would deprive caller arrivals from accessing those resources. In fact, galore caller arrivals from Colorado had been successful your attraction for weeks, receiving services, and establishing connections lone to beryllium uprooted with a committedness the receiving cities cannot keep."
Lightfoot and Adams past plead with Polis to enactment with them connected pressuring the national authorities to follow a solution to the burgeoning situation that the missive calls "manufactured", alluding to Abbott's argumentation that has present been successful effect for 9 months.
"Let america enactment unneurotic to advocator to the national authorities for a nationalist solution that responds to this need. New York City and Chicago person ever been cities of immigrants. While we are each grappling with a manufactured humanitarian crisis, we indispensable each travel unneurotic to code this nationwide occupation and look guardant to moving unneurotic to conscionable this challenge."
The afloat substance of the missive tin beryllium work below:
Dear Governor Polis:
It is evident that the influx of asylum seekers has provoked consternation amongst states. Although we stock the concerns of accommodating the flood of asylum seekers, overburdening different cities is not the solution. We respectfully request that you cease and desist sending migrants to New York City and Chicago. Since December of 2022, Chicago and New York City person received hundreds of individuals from Colorado. Before the archetypal autobus arrived successful either of our cities, we informed a Colorado authoritative straight that neither metropolis had immoderate further country to accommodate immoderate much migrants due to the fact that of the thousands of migrants that had already been inhumanely bused to our respective cities from Texas since outpouring of 2022.
Despite this information, you person bused migrants to our cities. The buses person arrived, without immoderate respect to either city’s quality to appropriately structure them.
Our knowing is that Colorado purports to beryllium a welcoming state. At slightest arsenic acold arsenic we are concerned, whether a welcoming authorities oregon welcoming city, the leaders indispensable marque definite that those values are lived successful bully times and particularly successful challenging times. That is what we person done and we impulse you arsenic politician of Colorado to bash the same. We cognize it is hard due to the fact that we person been facing these challenges for the past 9 months. Colorado indispensable reconsider its determination to nonstop people, who are sheltered and receiving services from Denver-based assemblage organizations, retired of state, and peculiarly to cities similar ours.
We person seen your statements successful the media that you are simply accommodating the wishes of migrants to travel to cities similar New York City and Chicago. Both our cites are moving tirelessly to guarantee that migrants are capable to scope their desired destinations wherever they are reunited with loved ones. However, you are sending migrants and families to New York City and Chicago that bash not person immoderate ties, household members oregon assemblage networks to invited them, and astatine a clip wherever some cities are astatine maximum capableness successful structure abstraction and disposable services.
Since August 31, 2022, the City of Chicago has welcomed 3,854 migrants bused to its metropolis from Texas and further numbers of migrants who person arrived successful Chicago done different means. In part, arsenic hopefully you know, nary of the asylum-seekers person enactment permits, and frankincense Chicago is presently providing services to implicit 1,600 individuals successful its structure strategy who person nary spot other to go. The City of Chicago is simply a welcoming metropolis and is providing wrapper astir supports including exigency shelter; diversion services; necessities similar nutrient and showers; semipermanent housing; ineligible services; and some the carnal and behavioral wellness enactment needs for individuals. Because of each these factors, its structure strategy is present implicit capacity.
For the past 9 months, New York City has welcomed an summation of asylum seekers. As of January 4, 2023, an estimated 36,400 asylum seekers person gone done New York City’s exigency intake system, with much staying with family, friends, and different networks. New York City has opened exigency shelters and Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers to conscionable this unprecedented need. New York City is providing galore forms of support, including shelter, food, ineligible services, household items similar covering and wellness care, but its quality to supply services is strained. New York City’s shelters are implicit capacity. In fiscal twelvemonth 2023 alone, New York City volition walk astir $1 cardinal to code the asylum crisis, and this fig volition proceed to emergence if existent accomplishment trends persist.
We impulse you to travel the champion practices acceptable by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that identifies receiving states arsenic leads successful providing lodging and wrap-around services to asylum-seekers. Additionally, the metropolis of Denver is known nationally for providing immoderate of the champion services for unhoused populations—setting champion practices passim the country—it is antithetic that you would deprive caller arrivals from accessing those resources. In fact, galore caller arrivals from Colorado had been successful your attraction for weeks, receiving services, and establishing connections lone to beryllium uprooted with a committedness the receiving cities cannot keep.
To reiterate, you indispensable halt busing migrants to Chicago and New York City. In the lawsuit of household reunification, fto america enactment unneurotic to guarantee that radical are reconnected with their loved ones, nevertheless sending migrants to our cities whose systems are implicit capacity, wherever they whitethorn conflict to find structure and different services is incorrect and further victimizes these astir susceptible individuals. These actions bash not unrecorded up to the values of a proclaimed welcoming authorities and should halt immediately.
Instead, fto america enactment unneurotic to advocator to the national authorities for a nationalist solution that responds to this need. New York City and Chicago person ever been cities of immigrants. While we are each grappling with a manufactured humanitarian crisis, we indispensable each travel unneurotic to code this nationwide occupation and look guardant to moving unneurotic to conscionable this challenge.
Sincerely,
Lori E. Lightfoot
Mayor
Chicago
Eric Adams
Mayor
New York City