The unannounced landing of approximately 150 migrants using a Texas-chartered airplane to transport migrants, caused a stir as it landed without warning in Chicago on Tuesday night.
Unannounced landing
Departing from El Paso, this marked a departure from the state’s previous reliance on buses to dispatch new arrivals to cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and now, Chicago.
The flight organized by the Texas Department of Emergency Management, touched down at O’Hare International Airport around 7:15 p.m.
It prompted a response from the Chicago Police Department being called to the scene.
Two individuals identified as “handlers” left the airport in a cab before officers could conduct interviews. The migrants are currently residing at the airport.
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin revealed that all migrants on the flight had signed waivers, mirroring the practice observed when boarding buses.
This was done to demonstrate their consent to the journey, according to the sources.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who had pledged to redirect more migrants to cities grappling with the crisis, made no official announcement about the flight.
However, in a social media post on Wednesday, Abbott disclosed that the state had bussed “over 82,900 migrants to sanctuary cities.”
Resources strained
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers are reportedly contending with approximately 10,000 new arrivals daily along the southwest border. The strain on resources has led to the closure of official crossing points, redirecting patrols to combat illegal crossings facilitated by smugglers.
He added, “Governor Abbott launched the border bus mission in April 2022 to provide support to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities as the Biden Administration leaves thousands of migrants in their towns.
Biden-made crisis?
Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue taking historic action to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis.”
Cover Photo: Unsplash