With the Chicago area facing its second winter storm of the week ahead of an arctic blast of frigid temperatures, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a stern letter to his Texas counterpart, pleading with the governor to pause the sending of migrant buses and planes to the Chicago area with dangerously cold temperatures expected next week.
In a public letter issued on Friday, Pritzker acknowledged that him and Gov. Greg Abbott both desire federal immigration reform before accusing Abbott of choosing to "sow chaos in an attempt to score political points."
"You are now sending asylum seekers from Texas to the Upper Midwest in the middle of winter - many without coats, without shoes to protect them from the snow - to a city whose shelters are already overfilled with migrants you sent here," Pritzker said.
The practice of sending asylum seeking migrants to Chicago and other sanctuary cities began in 2022, with New York City, Washington, D.C. and Denver being among the other cities targeted by the practice Abbott coined as "Operation Lone Star."
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With arctic air heading to the area that could see temperatures fail to climb above 0 degrees early next week, Pritzker is asking Abbott to at least pause sending migrants to Chicago with treacherous weather ahead.
"You seem to have no interest in working on bipartisan solutions to the border crisis because that would put an end to your cruel political game, but I am writing to you today hoping to appeal to your humanity," Pritzker said.
Pritzker referenced unscheduled drop-offs at odd locations at all hours of the night, adding that the weather presented "a threat to the families and children" being sent to Chicago by Abbott's administration.
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Declaring Chicago's current situation with migrants to be Abbott's "ongoing manufactured crisis," Pritzker explicitly called the next few days a threat to any migrants who may be arriving.
"There is much more that needs to be done by the federal government to provide aid to asylum seekers and to secure the border. I understand that this border crisis is untenable for border states. Illinois, and all other states, especially Texas, ought to lobby Congress immediately to vote for bipartisan immigration reform," Pritzker said.
Pritzker concluded the letter by pleading with Abbott "for mercy for the thousands of people who are powerless to speak for themselves," adding that he hopes they can "at least agree on saving lives right now."
