Texas Buses Carrying Migrants Arrive in Chicago

Facts

• Two buses carrying migrants from Texas have arrived at Chicago's Union Station, with many of the estimated 80 to 100 people on the buses - 20 to 30 of whom were small children - reportedly from Venezuela.
• The buses - which were transporting migrants who had illegally crossed the southern border - were sent by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as part of his program to share the surge of migrants with Democratic-run cities.
• According to the governor's office, more than 7.4k migrants have been bused to the nation's capital, and over 1.5k have been sent to New York City since April.
• Abbott, who is seeking a third term in the November midterm elections, claims the buses are needed because the border with Mexico hasn't been secured by Pres. Joe Biden.
• The transportation of migrants has reportedly cost Texas $12.7M so far.

Sources: FOX News, Associated Press, Texas Tribune, and Reuters.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Marshall Project. Abbott is using asylum seekers as political pawns in his misguided attempt to oppose Biden's immigration policies and foment anti-immigrant sentiment. While Democrat-run cities should continue to welcome asylum seekers, it's also important to denounce this behavior.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart.The US is currently facing a border crisis, and Abbott's bus policy is providing much-needed relief to Texas, which is bearing the brunt of the massive influx of migrants. This isn't a provocation, but rather an attempt to share the burden with liberal cities and lawmakers who have fuelled the migration wave.
• Progressive narrative, as provided by Texas Tribune. In an attempt to antagonize Democrats and slow the number of border crossings, Abbott is ironically establishing one of the nation's most generous publicly funded services to assist immigrants entering the country, which will only have the opposite effect. This so-called program clearly wasn't well thought out.