(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Days after Mayor Lori Lightfoot blasted Texas Governor Greg Abbott for sending migrants to Chicago without notice or consultation, the mayor of Burr Ridge says she’s doing the same thing to his suburb.
Mayor Gary Grasso insists the debate is not about the 64 migrants staying at a Burr Ridge hotel for the next month. He said he was not told about the migrants until they arrived in his community.
“They should not be pawns. They’re only seeking a better life in the greatest country in the world. This is about lousy state and city coordination with local government,” Grasso told WBBM Newsradio on Friday.
He said he does not blame Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a fellow Republican. Grasso said Abbott must be overwhelmed with people crossing the border, so he is sending them along to Chicago and other sanctuary cities.
“The leaders of those cities have said that, so fine, take them in,” Grasso said. “Are there no hotels in Chicago that could have taken these people?”
The suburban mayor said his staff has been overwhelmed with calls from residents upset about the visitors, raising concerns about criminal backgrounds, legal status and health.
Grasso said the village wants to do its part to help the migrants, and two businesses have already expressed interest in interviewing them for jobs.
WBBM Newsradio has reached out to Mayor Lightfoot’s office and the Pritzker Administration for comment.
Gov. Abbott’s administration has sent busloads of migrants from the Southern Border to Chicago and other cities. He says he is protesting the White House’s lack of attention to a growing problem.
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