A Texas transportation company is taking the nation’s third largest city to federal court, ratcheting up a legal battle over the migrant crisis that’s left U.S. cities struggling

A Texas transportation company is taking the nation’s third largest city to federal court, ratcheting up a legal battle over the migrant crisis that’s left U.S. cities struggling for more than a year.

The lawsuit against Chicago comes amid a larger political battle involving federal immigration policy and arguments about the rights and treatment of asylum seekers.

Since 2022, Texas has sent more than 100,000 migrants to Democrat-led “sanctuary cities,” as it has handled surging numbers at the Mexico-U.S. border in recent years. The state has contracts with multiple bus companies to send asylum seekers north and recently began chartering planes.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he launched his busing operation to ease the burden on border cities, adding that the federal government needs to take action on immigration reform. He argues that migrants choose their destinations, get free tickets and the cities should live up to their promise of welcoming all.

But the influx has overwhelmed major U.S. cities, namely Chicago, New York and Denver, with mayors making their own pleas for federal help. They call Abbott’s approach inhumane with buses arriving at all hours and with no passenger lists or coordination, particularly for people who have already faced long, often dangerous, journeys to get to the U.S. Many migrants, mostly from Venezuela, have been arriving in the brutal cold without winter coats.

  • themeatbridge
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    15911 months ago

    Good, discovery is a two-way process. They are suing on behalf of the asylum seekers, so let’s see the documentation on passenger manifests and the communications passengers received about why they are getting on busses and what to expect when they get there. Let’s depose some bus drivers about when and where they are instructed to drop off people with nowhere to go and no food to eat.

    • @andrewta
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      11 months ago

      This is a good idea

      If the riders were lied to I think fraud charges might apply

      • themeatbridge
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        2511 months ago

        If they were lied to and were on a bus for more than 24 hours, kidnapping charges apply.

        • @[email protected]
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          611 months ago

          Is that 24 hours thing something your read somewhere or are you assuming because of the Hollywood idea of waiting 24 hours to report someone missing?

          I ask because I don’t know. It seems silly if I can “kidnap” someone for 23 hours but because I returned them before 24 hours hit then charge don’t apply.

          • @[email protected]
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            1411 months ago

            Lol, no he’s making that up. Kidnapping does not have a 24 hour requirement. A person doesn’t even need to be moved to be guilty of kidnaping: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.20.htm

            (2) “Abduct” means to restrain a person with intent to prevent his liberation by:

            (A) secreting or holding him in a place where he is not likely to be found; or

            (B) using or threatening to use deadly force.

            Sec. 20.03. KIDNAPPING. (a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly abducts another person.

        • @andrewta
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          211 months ago

          Really? Interesting. Would never have thought if that one.

  • @Burn_The_Right
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    11 months ago

    There are countless unhoused folks living in freezing cities up north who might enjoy free transportation to warmer destinations.

    Many of these people already don’t have access to the mental health treatment they need. But at least moving to a warmer climate would improve survival rates and overall comfort. (If they actually want the free tickets, of course.)

    • @Wrench
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      211 months ago

      Yes, because obviously the solution to homeless people in their home state with extreme weather, is to dump them on the street in a state with better weather.

      Instead of, you know, figuring out how to take care of these folks where they have lived for most of their lives.

      • @GroundedGator
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        711 months ago

        Hey that asshole governor is using vulnerable people as pawns. Wait we have vulnerable people too.

        I think there is an old adage about 2 wrongs that fits this pretty well.

        Unfortunately this is all political theater and we can’t get the right people to come to the table to fix the problem.

  • @FabledAepitaph
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    2011 months ago

    Why don’t we just dock some of Texas’ border funding and give it to the northern states? Not a permanent solution, but it’s something.