Chicago braces for more migrant arrivals after end of Title 42
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Immigrants from Venezuela rest in the lobby of a police station where they've been staying with other migrant families since their arrival to the city on May 9. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Mayor Lori Lightfoot declared a state of emergency this week over the influx of migrants coming to Chicago.
Why it matters: The declaration frees up resources to provide shelter and aid as the number of people crossing the U.S. border from Mexico tops 10,000 a day after pandemic-era Title 42 restrictions expired.
- But the city's response is lagging, further straining local volunteers who've been begging for more help.
Context: Migrants being processed at police stations are waiting longer to move to shelters due to a backlog of available spaces, Lightfoot says.
- In recent days, the debate over where to house migrants has caused acrimony in neighborhoods like South Shore, where the community is frustrated about not being part of the process. Some are suing the city over the plans to house asylum seekers in a shuttered high school, the Chicago Tribune reports.
- And in Pilsen, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) and community groups have taken the issue into their own hands by moving migrants from a police station into a makeshift shelter.
What they're saying: "We need long-term planning for where these shelters are going to be in the city and what buildings we can use to make this process a little less herky-jerky," Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) tells Axios.
- "So many City Council members have already stepped up to say, 'Hey, here's a facility in my ward that I believe may be a suitable site.'"
Zoom in: This week, the feds gave the city and state $8.5 million in grants to help with the migrant crisis. But that's a far cry from the almost $191 million requested.
- Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García and Illinois House Democrats told the Federal Emergency Management Agency that they felt "profound disappointment" over the low grant amount after the city already spent $75 million to care for 8,000 migrants.
Be smart: So where will the money come from to cover resources like shelter, meals and health care?
- "In order to access certain dollars, the city will have to enact some budget amendments," Rosa tells Axios.
- "We need more resources to meet the current need, and we absolutely need to plan ahead to anticipate the resources that will be needed over the coming year."
The intrigue: Lightfoot is not just calling on the federal government for more money; she's also urging the Biden administration to expedite work permits for the migrants.
- "If we could put people to work legally, it would lessen the strain on all of our resources," Lightfoot said at a press conference this week.
- "It would lessen the burden if they're able to go out and work and take care of themselves and pay for housing."
What's next: With more migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signaled that he'll continue to bus them to cities including Chicago, New York and Washington — which started sending migrants to nearby suburbs to reduce the strain on city shelters.
- In the meantime, Lightfoot says her team has been regularly briefing staffers for Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, who, starting Monday, "is going to own responsibility for this."