Few things are as rewarding as watching Democratic policies blow up in their faces. For Chicago’s outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the reality of open borders is far different than pie-in-the-sky dreams.
An amusing chain of events was set into motion on Sunday, April 30, 2023, when Lightfoot sent a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, begging him to stop sending illegal immigrants to her “sanctuary city.”
“We simply have no more shelters, spaces, or resources to accommodate an increase of individuals at this level, with little coordination or care, that does not pose a risk to them or others,” Lightfoot wrote. “I know by your actions that you either do not see or do not care about the trauma these migrants have already faced and continue to suffer under the humanitarian crisis you have created, but I beseech you anyway: treat these individuals with the respect and dignity that they deserve.”
The letter went on to describe the illegal immigrants’ condition on arrival to Chicago, pointing out that they are “in dire need of food, water, and clothing.” Lightfoot wrote that she is sympathetic to the plight of border states, but the issue will not be resolved by “passing the responsibility to other cities.”
Abbott responded, “With Title 42 expulsions set to end next week, the federal government has estimated that we could have up to 13,000 illegal immigrants cross the U.S.-Mexico border every single day. Some reports indicate that there are nearly 35,000 waiting to cross into El Paso as soon as Title 42 expulsions are no longer in effect. If Chicago can’t deal with 8,000 in less than a year, how are small Texas border communities supposed to manage 13,000 in just one day?”
Lightfoot is the latest state official in a long line of Democratic policymakers who are unable to meet the demands of Biden’s open border policy. Earlier this year, New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams stated that his city doesn’t have enough resources to take more migrants in its “strained care system.” The situation prompted Adams to take an unprecedented visit to the southern border and create a new definition of “sanctuary city” to mean that only immigrants who can fend for themselves are welcome.
“We welcome those the city doesn’t have to have in their care system,” Adams clarified, “But that should not come at the price tag of those New Yorkers.”
In late April of this year, Adams became an unlikely ally with conservatives regarding the situation at the border, stating that Biden and the White House have “failed New York City.” The national government has turned its back on New York City,” Adams said during a news conference. “This is in the lap of the president of the United States. The president of the United States can give us the ability to allow people to work.”
He went on to say, “We can’t point to the failure of the Republicans handing down real immigration reform because there’s real things we can do. This is in the lap of the president.”
Abbott has redistributed illegal immigrants to largely Democratic cities and locales, including California, Philadelphia, Martha’s Vineyard, and Vice-President Kamala Harris’ home in Washington, D.C. None of the sanctuary cities were prepared for an influx of illegal immigrants and immediately claimed they were overwhelmed and lacking the resources to help the migrants.
It’s important to note that these numbers are only a fraction of the number of people flooding border states, and the protests of liberal leaders in cities such as Chicago are only proving the point of the exercise: it’s too much, there are no resources, and there is no sign of concern coming from the White House.
For Lightfoot, Adams, and other Democratic leaders, paying billions of dollars to support illegal immigrants should be considered “paying their fair share” to purchase future voters. It’s ironic that liberal leadership across the U.S. urged the floodgates to be opened and are now suffering the predictable results of their lax border policies.
The only thing stemming the flow at the border was Article 42, which is set to expire on May 11, 2023. At that point, border patrol is predicting a dramatic increase in border crossings of up to 13,000 a day.
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re gonna need a bigger bus.
