French.china.org.cn | Updated on 15-09-2022
The Governor of the US state of Illinois, JB Pritzker, has signed a disaster proclamation to ensure resources for migrants bused to Illinois from Texas, the Chicago Tribune reported on Wednesday.
The proclamation will enable coordination between different state, city and county governments to provide these migrants with necessary assistance, including transportation, emergency shelter, food, health screenings and medical care, a said the governor’s office.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Pritzker announced that he had also deployed 75 members of the National Guard to help with the logistics of receiving migrants.
He criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott for failing to coordinate and communicate with officials in Illinois and Chicago on the matter. “The Governor of Texas is imposing on New York, (Washington) DC, Chicago and potentially other places a complex and unnecessary last-minute process, cynically demonstrating that he is prioritizing politics over people.”
The Illinois attorney general and those of the city of Chicago, among other agencies, are currently investigating whether there is “criminal liability” for Mr. Abbott’s actions, Mr. Pritzker said. He also raised the idea of suing the Texas government in federal court.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the situation an “ambush fabricated crisis” and accused Mr Abbott’s administration of tricking migrants into boarding the buses. According to her, since August 31, when the first bus arrived, about 500 migrants have disembarked in Chicago and the number could increase further in the coming days.