(NewsNation) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Tuesday that busing 35,000 migrants to self-declared sanctuary cities brings “critical relief” to overwhelmed Texas border towns.
“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,” Abbott added.
Texas started busing hundreds of thousands of migrants to Democrat-led cities in protest of federal border policies over a year ago. Abbott’s migrant busing program has been a significant problem for these cities.
New York City has seen an influx of migrants, with the arrival of nearly 100,000 migrants since the spring of 2022. With an estimated cost of $383 a night to house migrants, the city has already spent more than $1 billion addressing the crisis.
New York City’s right-to-shelter laws mean it is obligated to provide shelter to those who arrive, which has led to a shortage of available beds.
Chicago has also hit its housing breaking point.
The city of Chicago has been sheltering large groups of migrants at O’Hare International Airport, where asylum-seekers say the living conditions are inhumane. A Chicago police officer confirmed Tuesday morning that there were 433 migrants currently sheltering at the airport.
The migrants have been forced to sleep on the airport’s floors behind large swaths of black curtains used to hide the growing humanitarian crisis. Many of these migrants told NewsNation they are concerned for their well-being.
Last week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed a letter with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker asking the federal government to streamline work authorization for asylum-seekers.
In a social media post, Johnson said, “Chicago nears the one-year mark of receiving nearly 14,000 new migrant arrivals from politicians’ inhumane practices.”