Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned the migrant influx into his city during an interview with CNN’s Poppy Harlow. He claimed the influx is “unsustainable” without “significant federal support.” Also, Johnson laid out the full scope of the migrant crisis in Chicago, noting that it “has been a remarkable challenge.”
In addition, Johnson blamed both the Biden administration and Texas for his city’s struggle to care for thousands of migrants. According to reports, the city has spent $138 million on the crisis. However, reports suggest the figure may worsen as temperatures drop as winter progresses.
Also, the mayor said they crammed about 15,000 asylum seekers into 27 shelters across the city. Johnson blamed Texas Governor Greg Abbott for sending in migrants from the US-Mexico border. According to reports, Abbott has sent more than 25,300 migrants to Chicago since August 2022.
“Since taking office a little bit over seven months ago, my administration has responded to this humanitarian mission with the full force of the government,” Johnson noted. “We have roughly 15,000 people living in shelters, temporary shelters here in Chicago, nearly 27 shelters.”
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Johnson also said, “A total of 4500 children are in our Chicago public schools system, providing health care and ensuring that we are screening individuals as they come through the city of Chicago, providing onsite vaccinations at all of our shelters.”
About 10,000 migrants cross the border every day, and Republican Governors send them to “sanctuary cities” like Chicago. Consequently, Chicago has spent millions of dollars on the crisis. Johnson renewed his feud with Abbott, calling his actions “reckless and dangerous.” However, he also lamented the lack of federal support.
“I have repeatedly said that we need more resources, and I have asked for $15 billion for the entire country,” he said on CNN. Furthermore, Johnson said he appreciated the federal government issuing work permits to get immigrants into jobs to make a living.
POLL — Should the U.S. Government Create a Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants?
Johnson’s complaints come as New York City Mayor Eric Adams claimed that the White House refused to meet with him to discuss the migrant influx, even as the city takes in thousands of asylum seekers every week. Adams said the federal government refused to do their job and critiqued the city’s government “every step of the way.”
Meanwhile, Johnson claimed without immediate federal support, the ongoing crisis in the city “is not sustainable.” “We cannot do this alone; we need more support from the federal government,” he said. “We need the federal government to step in and provide more financial assistance.”
Johnson said the indiscriminate arrival of “rogue buses” from Texas had “caused an incredible amount of chaos,” damaging local economies. “What I’ve been working on instead of creating chaos is providing structure and calm around this situation,” he said. “And without significant federal support, this is not sustainable.”
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“We’re talking about individuals who, quite frankly, suffered miles, thousands of miles of betrayal to reach the border,” Johnson added. “And so what we’ve seen is that a lack of coordination has caused tremendous stress.”
Johnson also cited Abbott loading as many immigrants as possible onto buses and sending them to Illinois without warning. Consequently, Chicago tried to get them to arrive at designated locations and impounded buses that didn’t follow these rules. However, despite the measures, the city is battling a growing migrant crisis.
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