Why the DNC migrant surge didn't happen
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Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas talks to Axios' Niala Boodhoo on Tuesday at Axios House. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
When it comes to the DNC, Chicago has so far lucked out with glorious weather, minimal protest disruptions and a nonexistent migrant surge, despite Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's threats to keep sending buses.
What happened: Instead of being hit with busloads of up to 25,000 new migrants before the DNC, Chicago has seen its number of new migrants in shelters drop consistently for months to some of the lowest levels in more than a year.
What they're saying: U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) attributes the low numbers to a couple of factors.
- "First, the administration has worked closely with Mexico, which has been heavy on enforcement and that had a massive impact," Escobar told Axios Tuesday after an Axios House event where she spoke.
- Plus: "President Biden's executive order [limiting border migration] has made an additional pretty significant impact, and unfortunately for Greg Abbott, he doesn't have more vulnerable people to use as a political prop," she said.
Between the lines: U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin told Axios on Tuesday that he also credits Chicago's policy of impounding buses that bring migrants to the area outside official hours and beyond the official landing zone.
The other side: Axios Chicago reached out to Abbott's office and did not immediately hear back.
The latest: City, state and federal leaders gathered at Moe's Cantina on Tuesday to celebrate Biden's executive order earlier this year allowing undocumented spouses of citizens to apply for citizenship.
- I believe this provided "the biggest immigration policy victory since the implementation of DACA, and that's why it's so critical that we have people [in the White House] who understand the importance of what our country is all about," Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the event.