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The group, who came from 49 different countries, took the Oath
of Allegiance.
Several elected officials were on hand, including U.S. Sens.
Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
“You will now help us write the story of Illinois and of the
United States in the 21st Century,” said Pritzker.
Illinois has been dealing with an influx of illegal immigrants
for two years as they have been bused in from border states.
During the Republican National Convention last month, Texas Gov.
Greg Abbott said it is the Biden Administration's immigration
policies that led to the busing of migrants to sanctuary states
like Illinois.
“On his first day in office, he gutted President Trump’s
policies, and the result has been catastrophic,” said Abbott.
Abbott also said the buses will continue to roll until the U.S.
border is secured. Abbott started the busing initiative in 2022
as part of Operation Lone Star, an $11 billion program designed
to address the surge in illegal border crossings in Texas.
The buses have not been rolling on a consistent basis for months
because of a drop in the number of migrants apprehended at the
southern border.
Beatriz Ponce de Leon, Chicago’s deputy mayor for immigration,
told reporters last month that the city was preparing for as
many as 25,000 migrant arrivals during the Democratic National
Convention. But President Joe Biden’s June executive order
limiting asylum-seeker’s arrivals at the border has downplayed
those expectations.
Since August 2022, an estimated 34,000 migrants have arrived in
Illinois.
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