Democratic Chicago Alderman Brian Hopkins said Thursday on Fox News that Chicago would not have become a sanctuary city if it had known what that meant.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, is sending migrants to “sanctuary cities” such as New York City and Chicago, with Chicago officials complaining that Abbott's plan is causing “chaos.” Mayor Brandon Johnson previously passed an ordinance to seize and tow immigrant buses that violate new regulations, forcing them to drop off migrants in designated areas of the city.

Hopkins said the federal government “dropped the ball.”

“As a city, Chicago city government doesn't have the capacity to deal with this. We're not equipped to deal with this yet.”

Hopkins said the city asked the federal government for funding and assistance last year due to a surge in migrants, and FEMA sent them away “empty-handed.”

“But with all due respect, haven't the leaders of your city said, 'We are a sanctuary city?'” How are you all doing? ” Wasn’t that the message? ” asked Smith. (Related: Chicago mayor tells residents to make 'sacrifices' to benefit illegal immigrants)

“Yes. You didn't hear that from me, did you? If we had to vote again to authorize Chicago to be a sanctuary city, I don't know if it would happen. In fact, we are the voters. “We tried to hold a referendum this March to ask people if they wanted to become a sanctuary city, but the mayor and his team blocked that effort,” Hopkins said. “So I don't know if there is the political will to continue to be a sanctuary city. But I will say this: Our sanctuary city status was first established back in the '80s. . This is nothing new. We put this flag on the ground a long time ago. No one imagined back then that it would lead to what it is today. This was totally unexpected. It was out there, completely unheard of, and no one thought a sanctuary city would be what it meant.”

Hopkins said the border situation is a “bipartisan failure” and that “blame is being passed around.”

Chicago, New York City and Denver have asked the Biden administration for more help to address the crisis, including work permit applications, additional funding and better coordination with other state and local governments.Especially in Chicago received More than 30,000 immigrants.

In an October poll conducted by M3 Strategies, 46% of respondents said they no longer wanted Chicago to be a sanctuary city, and 39% said Chicago should remain a sanctuary city. According to the survey, 14% of voters were unsure. ABC7.