Texas transportation company sues Chicago for migrant bus restrictions

[Valdosta]

Texas transportation company sues Chicago for migrant bus restrictions
Chicago Tribune

...

The lawsuit filed by Irving-based Wynne Transportation earlier this month accuses the city of violating federal and state law with its restrictions on what Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has referred to as “rogue buses.”

The legal move continues a back-and-forth battle as Chicago works to control the arrivals of asylum-seekers and Texas adjusts to continue sending them. Nearly 35,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began sending buses in August 2022.

The suit against the city “is about allowing immigrants the opportunity to call Chicago home,” the lawsuit says.

“Rather than welcoming migrants and giving them sanctuary, Chicago is turning its back on those wishing to travel here by enacting an ordinance that targets the transportation companies that transport migrants from our southern border to their desired destination,” it continues.

...

[brooklynite]

1. Unless someone has evidence that migrants were forcibly put on the buses....

...I don't see the legal basis for restricting their movements.

[bluesbassman]

3. Forcibly? Maybe not. But how about fraudulently?

Do you think it’s ok that people are being lied to about the facts surrounding their destinations by Texas government officials and their proxies? Or is that just a good business model by the transportation companies in your mind?

[brooklynite]

4. Again, not a legal matter for restricting bus movements.

[pinkstarburst]

6. Once we give people permission to be in the country

awaiting their immigration hearings, they are free to travel. They are free to go to Chicago, or New York, or Denver, or anywhere else they choose. If the issue is that we cannot support letting in 10,000 homeless migrants per day, then that is a conversation we need to have with congress/the current administration with regards to stopping them before they enter. But once they are in, they are free to travel, and all cities must be expected to support them, not say out of one side of our mouth "let them in, we support migrants" while out of the other "just don't send those busses to my city NIMBY."

[ificandream]

7. Except they aren't "free" in this situation. They're being trafficked to those cities from Texas.

That's not freedom. Except maybe in the minds of some Republicans.

[redqueen]

2. Last month it was reported that 10,000 migrants were crossing the US border daily

Not sure how many of those are arriving in large Texas cities, but 20,000 since August 2022 comes out to a little over 1,000 a month.

Republicans are clearly planning to use this issue to their advantage.

[pinkstarburst]

5. CNN had an article a few weeks ago putting the number

of undocumented immigrants in Harris County (Houston) at 500,000.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/21/us/texas-sb-4-reaction-advocates-undocumented-reaj/index.html

"Just in Harris County, there are 500,000 undocumented immigrants. These individuals work hard like all of us and they face crime like any of us."

Texas is a Hispanic majority state (40.2% of the state.)

As far as migrants (who do have permission to temporarily stay), not sure on that number.

[Mad_Machine76]

9. Planning?

They are

[redqueen]

11. True, but right now it's aimed mostly at their base

I worry they're going to try to aim this at independents/swing voters.

[ripcord]

8. I bet Texas would love to coordinate when and how many immigrants they get

The federal government has been irresponsible on this issue, they should be busing the immigrants to all states in an even manner not just having them pile up along the border.

[Mad_Machine76]

10. So is Abbott or DeSantis

making phone calls to the Feds to coordinate? Why aren't they sending migrants elsewhere with 49 states available to choose from?

[redqueen]

12. Because they operate in bad faith

They don't care about making things work - they care about making dems look bad

[Mad_Machine76]

13. Exactly my point

Yet I still sometimes hear people on our side acting like Texas is the victim here.