Chicago, a city 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from the US-Mexico border, is struggling to provide for thousands of migrants sent from Texas on the orders of Governor Greg Abbott.
Other northern cities are also dealing with large numbers of new arrivals.
On Sunday, a bus carrying dozens of migrants from Texas arrived near Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington.
And New York has requested additional funds from the federal government.
In Chicago, city officials say resources are exhausted. Since last summer more than 8,000 migrants have arrived in the city. It’s estimated that an additional 100 to 200 are arriving each day.
They’re being housed in police stations and churches, and some existing residents are upset at plans to convert a school into a shelter.
Chicago declares state of emergency
The number of migrants sent to Chicago is a small fraction of those who’ve recently entered the country from Central and South America. On the southern border, crossings are currently running at 10,000 per day.
But the influx prompted outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot to declare a state of emergency last week.
“We should all understand that this crisis will likely deepen before we see it get better,” Ms Lightfoot said in a statement.
The declaration allows the city to access emergency funds and could result in the state’s national guard being called in to help.
Officials are bracing for more arrivals after Title 42, the pandemic-era border policy that allowed swift deportations, expired last week.
The migrants began arriving in northern cities last summer as Gov Abbott, a Republican, attempted to put pressure on the White House to halt border crossings by sending newcomers to Democrat-run cities.
In a letter made public earlier this month, the Texas governor told Ms Lightfoot that she should take the matter up with the president.
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