CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) --A top city official says they are asking the feds to do something in response to the private migrant flight that Texas officials, under Governor Greg Abbott, sent to Chicago this week.
Mayoral Deputy Chief of Staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas said there was little the city could do about the charter flight full of migrants that landed at O'Hare Tuesday evening, but she said the Federal Aviation Administration has jurisdiction and city officials have talked with them and the White House.
The flight from El Paso chartered by the Texas Department of Emergency Management dropped off more than 120 migrants at a private terminal without any notice.
"It's really a federal issue. Even though this was a privately-chartered plane, the FAA does have some type of authority to intervene," Pacione-Zayas explained.
"They waited on this latest stunt pulled by Governor Abbott, so I think there will be some there'll be some intervention should they try to do this again," Pacione-Zayas added.
The White House criticized the flight and accused Abbott of using migrants for politics.
“Yet again, Governor Abbott is showing how little regard or respect he has for human beings,” White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández said in a statement.
“This latest political stunt just adds to his tally of extreme policies which seek to demonize and dehumanize people.”
Pacione-Zayas said there has not been more planes with migrants arriving from Texas since Tuesday. However, the buses keep coming saying that since September, the city has welcomed more than 390 buses.
"That is the most in one period."
She said at least one of the buses complied with the city's new permitting process giving advance notice.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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