Busted! Sanctuary Cities Caught Relocating 60,000 Migrants

A recent report has uncovered that Democrats have relocated over 60,000 migrants from their so-called "sanctuary cities," despite previously criticizing states like Texas for "mistreating" illegal immigrants by transporting them to these cities. The New York Times reported that Texas Governor Greg Abbott transported approximately 120,000 migrants from border towns to cities such as Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. This busing strategy aims to redistribute the responsibility of managing the border crisis to states further from the border, preventing Texas from becoming a more permanent home for these immigrants.

Despite severe criticism, Abbott remains steadfast in his commitment to continue transporting migrants to other states. His defiance against opposition from Democratic governors has inspired others to start their own busing programs. For example, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, a Republican and a Democrat, respectively, have implemented similar initiatives.

Due to this influx, northern states have had to address the costs of housing and supporting these migrants, challenging their claims of being sanctuary cities. Faced with this unexpected burden, many of these states have started their own busing programs to relocate migrants. For instance, New York has paid to send over 35,000 migrants to Florida, Illinois, and even back to Texas.

Denver has purchased tickets to transport migrants to other states, including California, Utah, Florida, and Texas. About 1,400 migrants in Denver accepted the offer to return to Texas. Meanwhile, Illinois has provided free transportation for over 7,000 migrants to leave Chicago.

Ironically, many of these cities initially welcomed the buses from Texas, believing the new source of cheap labor provided by the migrants could help stimulate economic growth. However, the rapid arrival of these migrants, many of whom are asylum seekers unable to obtain work permits for the first six months, proved too much for these places to handle.

"We're willing to provide that support," said Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. "We can't provide it to everyone." According to the New York Times analysis, Denver had the highest portion of arriving migrant buses from Texas. Initially, the city offered several weeks of free shelter to newly arrived migrants. However, the number of migrants arriving in the city quickly outpaced Denver's ability to shelter them. The number of people staying in shelters grew to over 10 times their average level before the initial migrant surge, reaching nearly 5,000 in January. The city had to reduce its free shelter program to just 72 hours of free housing, and the city government began advising incoming migrants to continue on to somewhere else. Today, a sign in Spanish stands outside the city's main migrant intake center that says: "There is no shelter in Denver."