CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson said he plans to visit the country’s border “soon” to assess the migrant crisis as Chicago sees a dramatic spike in the number of buses bringing migrants to Chicago compared to just a week ago.
The city was bracing to receive “as many as 22” buses of asylum seekers on Wednesday, Johnson said. At least 14 buses carrying migrants have arrived in Chicago as of Wednesday afternoon, Johnson said after City Council, and that number that was expected to grow through the evening and night.
“They’re sending buses in the middle of the night. And so that number continues to change throughout the day,” he said. “It could be as many as 22 today.”
That increase reflects an accelerating surge in the number of migrants being sent to Chicago, mostly by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott‘s administration. Ten buses arrived Tuesday, a city spokesperson said.
Last week, the city reported a then-record 27 buses between Saturday and Thursday morning.
Each bus typically carries about 50 people. If 22 buses arrived in Chicago, more than 1,000 new asylum seekers will have come to the city in a single day. The city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication did not immediately have updated bus arrival numbers early Thursday.
“This is a growing crisis not just for the city of Chicago but for the entire globe,” Johnson said. “The population shift that we are experiencing as a result of the failure of federal policies is now impacting the people of Chicago in a very dramatic way.”
Johnson’s announcement comes as New York City Mayor Eric Adams embarks this week on a four-day trip to Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia to discourage migrants from coming to the country’s largest city. New York has received more than 100,000 asylum seekers over the past year, according to the AP.
Since buses began arriving in Chicago last year, the city’s shelter system has been overwhelmed, leading thousands of people to sleep on the floors of police stations.
As of Wednesday morning, about 2,400 people were staying in police districts across the city, according to data provided by a city spokesperson, with another 746 staying at O’Hare.
Chicago has hosted more than 17,000 migrants since Abbott and other border state politicians began busing them to Chicago in August 2022.
The number of buses carrying migrants to Chicago exploded over the spring and summer, with 233 of 343 total buses arriving since May 12.
Some local leaders have speculated the rise in arrivals is an effort to put pressure on the city ahead of the Democratic National Convention next summer, but officials have pushed back on the idea that it will impact the event.
In an effort to get migrants out of police station lobbies, Johnson’s administration recently signed a $29 million contract with Virginia-based GardaWorld Federal Services and its subsidiary Aegis Defense Services for the firm to “provide temporary housing, on an as-needed basis” for asylum seekers, records show.
That includes “base camp” tent shelters to house migrants, although no specific locations have been announced.
Johnson on Wednesday defended that contract, which has been criticized by some City Council members and activists who have pointed out GardaWorld’s checkered history.
“We’re just simply responding to the fact that the state already had a contract with them, so this is what’s allowing us to move with some expedition,” he said. “And yes, my administration, along with [alderpeople] will continue to monitor to make sure that this company, this entity, is not violating the trust of the people of Chicago.”
As for why Johnson believes he needs to travel to the border, the mayor said it was important for city officials to see the crisis southern states are dealing with “firsthand.”
“We need better coordination quite frankly,” he said. “… We’re going to assess the full situation, and that also requires our team to be at the border.”
Asked by reporters when that delegation could leave, he said “soon.”
“I am going to the border as soon as possible. But I gotta coordinate that with running the government and making sure that my wife and children are secure as well,” he said.
Block Club’s Madison Savedra contributed.
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