CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A top City official said Texas has been increasing the number of asylum-seeking migrants it shuttles to Chicago, possibly in an effort to strain city services and try to make the city look bad.
Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, said Texas may be trying to embarrass the city of Chicago and the Democratic Party.
Since May 12, Pacione-Zayas said Texas has sent 96 busloads of migrants to Chicago. That compares to eight busloads over the previous four-and-a-half months.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an increase in buses coming to Chicago as we get closer and closer to the DNC — the Democratic National Convention,” the former state senator said.
Since September 2022, she said Texas has sent more than 13,000 asylum-seeking migrants to the city of Chicago.
“This is really reckless behavior, and it’s very unfortunate because people’s lives are at stake,” Pacione-Zayas said. “We lost a 3-year-old child’s life as they were en route from Texas to Chicago. They put people on the bus knowingly that they were not well.”
Pacione-Zayas said Chicago will continue to do its best to be a welcoming city to the migrants, especially pushing harder for more federal money. So far, she said the feds have chipped in less than 10% of what the state of Illinois has.
She said the State of Illinois has invested $250 million in helping Chicago house and feed the migrants. The city has spent $67 million while the federal government has provided $21 million.
Pacione-Zayas said 6,500 migrants are currently in shelters while another 1,500 are being housed in police stations and at O’Hare Airport.
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