Democrats are clashing about how to deal with an influx of migrants bused to sanctuary cities by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Abbott, a Republican, began sending buses of migrants to Democratic-led “sanctuary cities,” which protect undocumented immigrants from deportation, in 2022 amid growing frustration about a rise in encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border. There were more than 2.4 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2023 fiscal year, up from roughly 1.7 million in 2021, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The influx of migrants to these cities is dividing Democratic leaders, while testing their pro-immigration policies. Elected officials in cities including New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C. were forced to scramble to secure housing and resources for migrants, drawing criticism from those who say their response drained resources and prevented lawmakers from tackling other issues, such as homelessness or crime. Meanwhile, some Democratic officials have shifted their position on immigration, challenging the Biden administration’s stance.
Tensions came to a head in Chicago Thursday after Mayor Brandon Johnson blocked an advisory ballot referendum that would have given city voters the chance to weigh in on whether Chicago should remain a sanctuary city.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference on January 31 in Austin, Texas. Abbott’s policy of busing migrants to sanctuary cities has divided Democratic elected officials.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
The proposal, introduced by Alderman Anthony Beale, failed to pass the city council, lacking Johnson’s support, local television news station WFLD reported. The proposal would have asked voters, “Should the city of Chicago limit its designation as a sanctuary city by placing spending limits on its public funding?”
Beale slammed his fellow Democrats for rejecting the proposal, arguing that funds should go to residents of the community who have been “paying taxes their entire life, can’t get a furnace, can’t get a roof, can’t get a hot water heater, can’t get a back porch,” WFLD reported.
“It is a shame that you all are scared. What are you scared of? To let the people have a voice? What are you scared of—the truth? Are we afraid that the people are going to tell us that we are spending money frivolously?…Are we afraid that the people are going to tell us that we are headed in the wrong direction?” he asked.
Newsweek reached out to Johnson’s office and the White House for comment via email.
More than 25,000 migrants have arrived to Chicago since August 31, 2022, according to city data. Johnson has allocated $150 million for migrant care, including housing and food, for 2024, reported WTTW, Chicago’s PBS station. The city council earlier this year approved $51 million to support migrant communities, with some Democrats arguing these funds should have instead addressed homelessness or supported the city’s Black community.
Migration Poses New Political Challenge to Democrats
Grant Davis Reeher, a professor of political science at Syracuse University, told Newsweek on Friday that the migration issue has created a headache for Democrats as they offer different responses to the crisis.
“For some Democrats, it’s further cemented their views that concerns over immigration expressed by border states are cynical and mostly driven by racial resentment and prejudice. They see the busing as a gimmick to make them look like hypocrites. But others are rethinking some of their views, as they watch their local governments struggle to handle the new arrivals,” he said.
Reeher noted that Democratic leaders, such as New York Governor Kathy Hochul, have become more willing to call on the Biden administration to do more to solve the influx of migrants arriving to Democratic cities, suggesting “the worries long expressed by those in border states actually do have merit.”
New York City Democrats Clash Over Migrants
Democrats in other sanctuary cities have also clashed over the influx of migrants.
In New York, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has enraged some liberal Democrats by changing his rhetoric on immigration. He has hit out at President Joe Biden, blaming his policies for the influx of migrants and in September said the migrant issue will “destroy” the city.
His remarks have faced rebuke from his fellow Democrats.
“The idea that new arrivals would destroy New York City is absurd to me. New arrivals, immigrants, made our city,” City Councilor Tiffany Cabán, a progressive who has previously been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), told The Guardian in September. “I think there’s a real possibility of his rhetoric fomenting violence, and that’s the last thing we need.”
Meanwhile, New York City has seen more than 100,000 migrants arrive in the fiscal year of 2023 and has spent $1.45 billion on migrant services, according to city data.
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