GOP Mayor Slams Democrats’ ‘Hypocrisy’ For Sending Migrants Bused From Texas to Chicago to ‘the Republican Suburbs’

The Republican Mayor of Burr Ridge, a suburb of Chicago, blasted Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker (D-IL) for using migrants bused into Chicago as “political pawns” after some of those migrants ended up in his town.

Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso slammed the top Democrats in his state in a statement to Fox News digital for doing to his town exactly what Lightfoot and other Democratic mayors have been angry at the Republican governors of Texas and Arizona for doing to their cities.

“As is my understanding, this hotel, about a year ago, when refugees came in from Afghanistan, apparently accepted several either through faith-based or charitable organizations, but now the state assumes they can just send migrants… this isn’t about them, the migrants is fine, they’re being used as political pawns by the governor and mayor,” Grasso told Fox.

“We’re more than happy for people to find freedom, it is hypocrisy by the mayor of Chicago to complain about the governor of Texas – I do agree with what he’s doing – the city of Chicago says it’s going to be a sanctuary city which I oppose – but there must be vacant hotel rooms in Chicago. This is hundreds of people in a city of millions. Why are they sending them out to the Republican suburbs? You have to wonder,” Grasso added.

Grasso on Monday morning joined Fox News’s Steve Doocy on Fox & Friends to discuss the issue.
“Okay. So in your town, Burr Ridge, Illinois, right now, you’ve got 64 migrants there at a Hampton Inn. When’d you find out they were there?” Doocey asked.

“After they were checked in,” Grasso responded.

“Who took them there?” followed up Doocy.

“You have to presume it’s the city, of course, they came into the city. That’s where the buses originated from. And they were sent to our city. There’s confusion even as we sit here this morning. There’s confusion as to who made the decision, whether it was the governor who, you know, is a sanctuary state person and or the mayor. But we’ve got no heads up. I was not told. My staff was not told,” Grasso replied.

As the interview continued, Doocy read a statement from the governor on the topic:

We got a statement from the governor’s office to WGN in Chicago. They said The state of Illinois has a prior relationship with the hotel that Hampton Inn being used in the suburbs. And their staff has done amazing work welcoming refugees and asylum seekers before. So it is interesting that local officials are choosing this specific instance to gripe to the press about.

“Governor Pritzker has made it clear that Illinois is in a welcoming state and xenophobia has no home here. Is he talking about you complaining?” Doocy then asked Grasso.

“He must be. And I take great offense from that. This is nothing again to do with xenophobia. We are a very diverse community. If anybody knows anything about Burr Ridge, you know, it’s not about the migrants,” Grasso responded.

“It’s about the very thing that Lori Lightfoot complained about and not giving us a heads up so we could be prepared so we can tell our residents. Obviously, they had many, many questions about safety, about health concerns, about unaccompanied minors. And so it’s just the arrogance of the state, just presuming they can do what they want. They invite people to come to the state and then they just willy-nilly put them in the suburbs without even giving us the courtesy of letting us know,” Grasso concluded.

Watch the full clip above via Fox News