Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has received more than his share of criticism over his policy of bussing illegal immigrants and asylum seekers to Democrat-run cities. The move, which was intended to force politicians in these cities to shoulder some of the burden, seems to have worked.
Folks on the left and right accused Abbott of engaging in a political stunt intended to get attention. They said he was using individuals coming to the southern border as political pawns.
Regardless of what one thinks of Abbott’s idea, there can be no doubt that it was instrumental in pushing Democrats, who tend to favor open borders policies, to reconsider their stance. So far, Texas has sent tens of thousands of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers to blue cities.
Abbott's program has proven to be the bane of Democrats at all levels of government, from the White House to mayoral offices in deep blue cities. Abbott argues Texas towns have carried the weight of illegal immigration for too long and has forced "sanctuary cities" to begin sharing the burden.
"Texas has bused over 35,000 migrants to self-declared sanctuary cities," Abbott wrote Tuesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "Over 11,300 to D.C., over 13,300 to NYC, over 6,700 to Chicago, over 2,600 to Philadelphia, over 1,000 to Denver, over 480 to LA.
"Our busing mission provides critical relief to overwhelmed Texas border towns."
When Abbott first began the policy, the irony was not lost on many. It revealed that Democrats are more than willing to advocate for letting people come over the southern border willy-nilly as long as they did not have to deal with them. It prompted a “Not In My Backyard” outcry from politicians in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, the District of Columbia, and others.
But now, many of these government officials are singing a different tune.
Let’s start with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, whose city is struggling to handle the constant flow of foreigners. The city has been forced to cut budgets to accommodate the new arrivals. The problem has become so pronounced that representatives from the Big Apple have been sent to border-crossing locations to discourage asylum seekers and illegals from coming into the country.
He’s now sending representatives from New York are at border-crossing locations distributing flyers that explain New York is not an ideal destination. The city is becoming overrun with immigrant arrivals and is stretched to capacity as far as housing and care, all due to its own declarations and hubris on the issue of immigration. Adams joined a list of current and former politicians who have condemned others for wanting to stem the tide of immigration and built up their own aggrandizement by posing as our moral superiors in welcoming those to their sanctuary city.
Adams has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for failing to develop solutions to address the border crisis.
Next, we have New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has become an immigration hawk of sorts.
Keep in mind that Texas is being overwhelmed by tens of thousands of illegal immigrants daily. New York is not seeing anywhere near those numbers, and yet their system is already cracking under the pressure. Democrats are suddenly turning into immigration hawks, urging those flooding into the United States to seek asylum elsewhere. All of a sudden, Hochul and others are immigration hawks, demanding the Biden administration do something about the crisis.
"We want them to have a limit on who can come across the border," Hochul said on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday. "It is too open right now. People coming from all over the world are finding their way through, simply saying they are in need of asylum and the majority of them seem to be ending up on the streets of New York, and that is a real problem for the people of New York City."
Last but certainly not least, Chicago Democrats have been crying out for solutions, noting the impact the border crisis is having on the Windy City.
Anyway, two city aldermen now want voters to decide if Chicago should remain a sanctuary city.
Here's more:
Aldermen Anthony Beale and Anthony Napolitano have forwarded a resolution that calls for adding a referendum to the March 19 presidential primary ballot that asks residents for their take on whether Chicago should remain a safe haven for the thousands of migrants and refugees seeking asylum here.
The proposal calls for a ballot yes-or-no proposition that asks: "Should the City of Chicago continue to keep its designation as a Sanctuary City?"
Napolitano wrote the following on Facebook. The emphasis is mine.
The Resolution creates a ballot referendum where residents (YOU) can decide if Chicago should remain a sanctuary city. The ordinance we created requires Aldermanic approval for Any & All [sic] temporary illegal-immigrant housing within their ward.
The illegal-immigrant crisis is quickly spiraling out of control, and the hardworking residents of Chicago are left holding the bag. Our residents and the integrity of their neighborhoods need to remain our top priority!
Next thing you know, we might be seeing Democrats donning MAGA hats and screaming “Build the wall!”
If this situation shows us anything, it’s that Democrats’ principles bend pretty easily once they are faced with the consequences of their ideology.
The 2024 election looms on the horizon and the Democratic Party’s stance on immigration is becoming even less popular among Americans, most of whom might favor legal immigration while also supporting border security measures intended to regulate how we let people into our country.
Amid the backdrop of this complex tapestry, Abbott’s program might come to be seen as more than just a cynical political maneuver; it could be viewed as a catalyst for action when it comes to America’s broken immigration system. Indeed, it could cause even more Democrats to become more aggressive in their demands that the White House finally do something about the border crisis. It might be a long shot, but, as stated earlier, it is election season and left-leaning politicians likely understand that they cannot continue to ignore this issue.