Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot slams Texas Gov. Abbott as a 'man without any morals' after sending migrant buses

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Bus of illegal migrants arrive in Texas

Texas Governor Abbott sent a bus of illegal migrants to Chicago.

Democrat Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot slammed Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday afternoon, calling him a "man without any morals" after he sent two buses of migrants to her city's Union Station on Wednesday night.

Lightfoot made the comments during a press conference with city leaders and local partners.

"Let me say loud and clear to Greg Abbott and his enablers in Texas with these continued political stunts, Gov. Abbott has confirmed what unfortunately many of us had known already, that he is a man without any morals, humanity or shame," Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot also said that Abbott chose to "inhumanely load them onto buses" and send them to Chicago without "any regard for what the next steps are."

Seth Christensen, chief of media and communications at the Texas Division of Emergency Management, told Fox News that the migrants were on a bus with air conditioning, and were provided with food, water, and security.

TEXAS SENDS BUSES OF MIGRANTS TO CHICAGO FOR FIRST TIME, DROPPED OFF AT TRAIN STATION

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot slammed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in a press conference on Thursday.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

"These are human beings, moms and dads, young children, elders, who deserve our respect and dignity. They're not cargo. They are not chattel. They're human beings, just like you and me," she said. "Gov. Abbott's racist and xenophobic practices of expulsion have only amplified the challenges many of these migrants have experienced on their journey to find a safe place. The governor's actions are not just inhumane, they are unpatriotic."

The Chicago mayor added that the bus company that was contracted by Texas to make the trip to Chicago was "just as complicit in being part of this indignity."

Abbott made the decision to send two buses carrying migrants to Chicago on Wednesday, which arrived at the city's Union Station at 7:30 p.m., carrying migrants who crossed the southern border illegally.

Over 75 migrants were on the two buses, according to Lightfoot. Many of the migrants said they were from Venezuela upon exiting the bus.

FIRST TEXAS BUS OF MIGRANTS ARRIVES IN NYC

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to a 2022 CPAC crowd in Dallas, Texas. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)

Abbott said in a statement following the buses' arrival at Union Station that Chicago would now be a "drop-off location" for future migrant buses in response to "President Biden's open border policies overwhelming border communities in Texas," joining New York City and Washington, D.C.

"President Biden's inaction at our southern border continues putting the lives of Texans — and Americans — at risk and is overwhelming our communities," Abbott said. "To continue providing much-needed relief to our small, overrun border towns, Chicago will join fellow sanctuary cities Washington, D.C., and New York City as an additional drop-off location. Mayor Lightfoot loves to tout the responsibility of her city to welcome all, regardless of legal status, and I look forward to seeing this responsibility in action as these migrants receive resources from a sanctuary city with the capacity to serve them." 

Lightfoot said in response to questions from reporters on Thursday that it is "my prayer" that Abbott "finds some humanity" and doesn't continue to send buses of migrants to Chicago, but said if he does, "we're ready."

"[Abbott] is trying to create crises in Democratic-led cities to demonstrate his toughness," Lightfoot said.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Abbott's press secretary Renea Eze said that Lightfoot is being an "absolute hypocrite."

"Where was her outrage and condemnation of President Biden as he flew planeloads of migrants across the country and dropped them in communities in the cover of night? Mayor Lightfoot knows nothing about Texas' busing strategy and needs to stop with the baseless lies and fearmongering. Texas continues stepping up and responding to the Biden-made border crisis, taking unprecedented action to address the historic levels of illegal immigrants, terrorists and deadly drugs like fentanyl that are surging into our communities and overwhelming border towns," Eze said.

"If the mayor wants a solution to this humanitarian crisis, she should stop complaining and call on President Biden to take immediate action to secure the border — something the President continues failing to do," she added.

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During the press conference on Thursday, Caleb Senn, Chicago area commander for the Salvation Army, said that it is collaborating with the city to provide aid to the migrants who arrived at Union Station on Wednesday night.

"Our mission is to ensure that all people, whether from Chicago or Venezuela, know no hunger and have a safe place to sleep," Senn said. "We are, as the Salvation Army, praying for these individuals who have come to our city and their families as they adjust to new surroundings. And we will be working to ensure they have adequate resources while they are here."

Fox News' Timothy Nerozzi, Emma Colton, Liz Friden, Grady Trimble, Paul Best and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.