(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson unloaded Monday on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and some bus companies that transport migrants from the U.S. Southern Border, following the death of a five-year-old boy who had been staying at a Pilsen shelter.
Johnson said many of those arriving here are arriving sick. He added that transportation companies are trying to skirt new requirements in Chicago by dropping off migrants outside city limits – in some cases, giving travelers train fare to finish their journey.
“They’re just dropping off people anywhere,” Johnson said at an unrelated appearance. “Do you understand how raggedy and how evil that is?
“You’re just going to put people on a bus and take them somewhere and drop them off in the middle of the night – and then you want to hold us accountable for something that’s happened down at the border? It’s sickening.”
The Johnson Administration has offered its condolences to the family of Jean Carlos Martinez, who died Sunday after saying he was not feeling well. The boy had been staying at a migrant shelter in Pilsen near Halsted and Cermak.
Chicago and surrounding suburbs have tried to crack down on rogue bus companies transporting migrants by specifying where they can do so. City officials said they even impounded one bus on Dec. 13.
“In accordance with the amended bus safety ordinance, the City of Chicago towed and impounded a bus attempting to drop individuals off without a permit on December 13. The bus originated in Eagle Pass, Texas, and had 49 passengers,” a news release from the mayor’s office said.
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