Chicago residents are growing increasingly wary of the dedication of resources to immigrants, particularly as the city is set to receive a new wave of immigrants from the southern border on Wednesday.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday that four buses from Texas carrying asylum-seekers will arrive in the Windy City on Wednesday. He accused Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) of using immigrants as political tools, particularly as Chicago prepares to host the Democratic National Convention in 2024.
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“This is a direct response from governors, particularly in these red states, that are really trying to call attention to our values,” Johnson said to Politico, adding that at least 150 buses of immigrants have arrived in the city since the announcement of the convention.
Since Aug. 31, 2022, 13,500 immigrants have arrived in Chicago. Their arrival has forced the city to erect shelters and coordinate with state and local governments and law enforcement to provide significant resources — a move that is upsetting native Chicagoans who either are growing tired of housing immigrants or wish financial and physical resources would go toward city issues, such as homelessness and bolstering black communities.
Last week, residents of Hyde Park protested a plan to house 300 immigrants at a nearby motel, with their stay indefinite and expected to last through the fall and winter. Many argued they were not informed of the plan until the last minute, while others expressed concerns that the immigrants’ arrival could be a public safety issue.
“I don’t want them there! Take them someplace else or send them back to Venezuela! I don’t care where they go!” one woman said to ABC 7 Chicago.
Others blasted city leaders for neglecting marginalized communities but opening doors for immigrants.
“You’ve got 73% of the people homeless in this city are black people,” a woman said at the Hyde Park meeting. “What have you done for them?”
Chicago has reported that, currently, 6,500 immigrants are staying at the 16 city-run shelters, according to CBS News Chicago. Johnson said Tuesday that there are now 18 shelters. The city’s goal is to get the immigrants out of the police stations with overflowing lobbies.
Fraternal Order of Police members have criticized the Johnson administration for the number of people staying in police stations. President John Catanzara, a vocal opponent of Johnson, called the immigrant situation “unacceptable and ridiculous working conditions.”
In May, the Chicago City Council announced that $51 million in financial aid from the budget surplus would go toward addressing the influx of immigrants bused from Texas, receiving heavy backlash from Republicans. Springfield had approved over $42 million in immigrant aid for the entire state in its news budget, leaving fewer amounts for Chicago and prompting the city to allocate its own funds.
Johnson said on Tuesday that he will be “rolling out a stronger presentation” on the “humanitarian endeavor” later this week.
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“Look, we have a lot of work to do,” the mayor said, adding that he sees the influx of immigrants into Chicago as “an opportunity.”
He acknowledged growing tensions in Chicago communities, saying, “We also have to be very clear that for a long time, we’ve ignored what has been the norm in this city of the displacement and the disruption of black existence.”
