About a week ago, the mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, had a bit of a back-and-forth with CBS Chicago reporter Sabrina Franza. The reporter pressed the mayor about his management of the city amid its migrant crisis and whether he would raise taxes on citizens.
This comes after several states have complained about the influx of migrants into their communities. Republican governors like Texas’ Greg Abbott are not supporters of the country’s migration policies, and he has been very vocal about it.
He even bussed thousands of migrants to sanctuary cities like New York and Chicago. Therefore, the mayors of these cities had no choice but to admit that the crisis was overwhelming. It also forced them to reach out to the president to take proper action to address the issue.
As the crisis continues, Chicago is feeling the impact, and its residents are not happy. Furthermore, the city is spending most of its resources and funding on this problem. If they don’t take care of it, the funds will run out, which will only mean one thing: Increased taxes for residents.
ALSO READ: Migrants Arrive in Chicago by Taking Shortcuts Through the Suburbs to Avoid Fines
This was the major source of concern as Franza confronted the mayor. “When we talk to voters, a lot of times they’ll voice concerns about being frustrated that they don’t think your administration is hearing them because of the money that’s being spent on the migrant crisis that they’re not seeing.
It seems like this money is just appearing out of thin air but isn’t being invested in their own communities,” Franza said. “Why do you think they feel that way?” To this, Johnson answered, saying that Franza has to “keep in mind that the migrant crisis, this international global crisis, really requires a federal resource response.”
Franza later asked Johnson, “What will the city of Chicago do to pay for this? Because you’ve said it’s not sustainable, you’ve said you’re running out of space, it’s disrupting the very fabric of the city.”
Johnson responded by saying that his administration is doing its best to manage the situation effectively. As many other cities have made budget cuts, the mayor said that Chicago is not at that point yet.
POLL—Should the U.S. Government Create a Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants?
“Will you be taxing, adding a tax to help pay for this?” Franza asked. To this, the mayor laughed and said that the people were familiar with his vision for revenue. However, this was not the response Franza was looking for.
She kept pressing him and asking quite bluntly if he was going to increase taxes. Johnson kept giving different answers without saying a clear yes or no. On the other hand, Franza was resilient and kept asking as directly as she could. To all his evasive answers, she said, “Right, but that’s not the question the people of Chicago are asking.”
“The people of Chicago want to know, will you raise a tax, whether it be a property tax or implement something else to help pay for this?” Finally, the mayor gave a more direct response.
ALSO READ: Chicago Mayor Laments Migrant Influx, Says It Is “Not Sustainable
“I did not raise property taxes. My administration has not missed a beat. We have built an operation centered around people’s humanity,” he said.
“So you can commit to you not raising property taxes, regardless of how bad the situation gets?” Franza asked. “My budget, the $16.77 billion that I just passed, 41 alders, I believe, supported this budget-” Johnson said.
“So is that a ‘Yes?’” Franza interrupted. The mayor continued, saying that if they could do all that without raising taxes, they can solve the migration problem without it, too.
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