¡No más mentiras! Chicago Media Finally Acknowledging City of El Paso Migrants Busing

Illinois Democrats still blame Republican governors while Biden administration implements new action

Written by John Lopez

No more lies.

Since the first buses arrived in Chicago from southern-border states in late August, both Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) have been publicly critical, even hinting at a criminal investigation into the actions of southern governors, in particular, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R).  Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star” gained national attention when it started to bus illegal immigrants from the Texas-Mexico border to the self-declared “sanctuary cities” of New York City, then Washington, D.C. and in late August, Chicago.

Yet somehow lost in the mainstream news about migrant buses were the actions of El Paso, Texas. The Democrat-led El Paso City Council and mayor authorized their own transport of migrants out of El Paso, completely separate from Gov. Abbott’s Operation Lone Star. Since Illinois Family Action published its October 8 article “Asylum Seekers and the City of El Paso,” there has been much movement on this topic.

Crain’s Chicago Business said El Paso actually surpassed Abbott’s count of migrants bused out of Texas on October 11, as multiple published reports confirmed. Then in a two-part series, NBC’s Chicago affiliate on October 12 and October 13 documented the border crisis for the Chicagoland market to see. The October 12 segment was very clear that El Paso’s migrant busing was not part of Abbott’s Operation Lone Star.

El Paso had even set up a nifty dashboard where the city updates the metrics on the migrant crisis. So, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle (D) could have easily confirmed that the number of illegal immigrants that Democrat-led El Paso chartered outnumbered Abbott’s bused illegal immigrants by over 2-1.  El Paso’s bus charters had transported 3,118 migrants to Chicago. With the mainstream media finally reporting the truth in the Chicago media market, who did Preckwinkle (D) blame in her State of the County address at the Union League Club in Chicago on October 13? No need to guess: 

This is a cynical, disgraceful tactic by fellow Americans in Texas and Florida who are sending us asylum seekers.

We need the help of the federal government to meet this challenge.

I just wish the elected officials in Texas and Florida would be approaching the Biden administration, trying to work through some of these challenges rather than putting these people on buses to come here.

The Chicago Sun-Times coverage of Preckwinkle’s remarks published on October 13 made no mention of El Paso. Preckwinkle’s fire was reserved only for Republican governors, particularly Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), right before the mid-term elections. 

And there’s more overlooked news: illegal immigrants from Venezuela could not be returned to Mexico after President Biden took office. Former President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy ended when Biden was inaugurated. And yet the Sun-Times reported this:

On Wednesday [October 12], President Joe Biden’s administration announced it would begin returning Venezuelans seeking asylum at the border. The Department of Homeland Security said the U.S. and Mexico would create a new parole program requiring Venezuelans entering the country to have a sponsor living in the U.S.

On October 12–long after taking office and presiding over an astounding border crisis–Biden announced a change through Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, stating unsponsored migrants would be returned to Mexico:

These actions make clear that there is a lawful and orderly way for Venezuelans to enter the United States, and lawful entry is the only way.

Those who attempt to cross the southern border of the United States illegally will be returned to Mexico and will be ineligible for this process in the future. Those who follow the lawful process will have the opportunity to travel safely to the United States and become eligible to work here.

The entire press release explaining the new Homeland Security response can be viewed here.

On October 14, two days after the Biden administration implemented the change, KFOX-TV El Paso reported early metrics from Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino:

So, just looking at the numbers and what we are being told to expect tomorrow, we are going to start ramping down operations. 

The full report from Friday’s article, including video coverage hinting at an end to the charter buses from El Paso, can be viewed here. Going by the early metrics from the City of El Paso, the step taken by the Biden administration to relieve the Southern Border Crisis is welcome. Yet, the crisis should never have gotten to the point where tens of thousands of migrants needed to be transported from border cities by governors of Texas, Arizona,and Florida as well as the El Paso City Council.

In the remaining weeks until the November 8 General Election, voters from around the country will evaluate candidates for governor and members of the Congress and a significant issue will be the southern border crisis. Let’s hope and pray they make the right choices. 

John Lopez has written about policy and elections through the McHenry County Blog since 2019 through July 2021.  He is now semi-retired, and does freelance work with analytics, as well as political candidates, emphasizing policy as the means to advance the conservative message, by engaging through policy “dog fighting”, applying discernment for winning and advancing God’s Kingdom agenda.

John’s known for getting past the talking points, the narratives, the abstracts, the platitudes and the bromides in order to discuss policy and apply Scripture to overcome unholy divisions in the local community, our state, and nation.  John has been married for over 17 years.

Follow John on Twitter: @MarcVAvelar