Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson framed the current migrant housing situation as “unsustainable” while defending his office’s decision to evict migrants out of taxpayer-funded shelters.
Chicago began enforcing a 60-day limit for most adults in March, and approximately 121 people are set to be evicted by June 18, WTTW, a local outlet, reported. The mayor claimed during a Wednesday press conference that Congress needs to help address the issue and pointed the finger at “Trump Republicans” for the city’s current migrant crisis. (RELATED: ICE Nabs 5 Illegal Immigrants Wanted For Murder In Statewide Sweep)
“It is an unsustainable mission because we don’t have support from Congress,” Johnson said. “Congress, of course, refuses to respond to President Biden’s leadership and they refused to enact real substantive immigration reform policy, because that’s really what we need. But you have Trump Republicans that are more interested in obeying a convicted convict — a felon,” the mayor said.
The city has welcomed in more than 43,000 migrants since August 2022 and has so far spent around $150 million to feed and house them, according to the Chicago Tribune. Many of the noncitizens are from Venezuela and have largely been bussed into the city by GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as he has sought to relieve his own state from the immigration crisis.
A memo published by the city under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel states that law enforcement are prohibited from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and pledges city officials will never ask anyone about, or deny services because of, their immigration status. (RELATED: Abbott Begins Flying Migrants To Chicago After City Restricts Busing Effort)
City leaders in 2023 attempted to issue a referendum allowing voters to determine whether the city should keep its sanctuary city status, according to Fox32. However, Johnson and his allies in the city council used a procedural maneuver to block the referendum from moving forward, preventing residents from having a chance to vote on the measure.
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