Chicago budget: Johnson wants to allocate at least $150M for 'new arrival services'
CHICAGO - The mayor of Chicago is allocating millions more dollars toward migrant aid for next year.
This comes as various communities continue to respond to the growing number of shelters the city is establishing for asylum seekers.
Outlined in his 2024 budget proposal, Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to spend at least $150 million for what he's calling "new arrivals services." That is on top of what has already been spent by the city since migrants started arriving in August 2022.
As of Wednesday, nearly 11,000 migrants were in shelters established by the city, while 3,000 others are still waiting for placement.
More than 18,000 migrants have made their way to Chicago since Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s bussing program began.
"Just in the last week alone, we welcomed 63 buses," said Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Brandon Johnson. "This is purely a political stunt."
During his budget address, Johnson blamed Republicans for wanting to create "chaos" in Chicago.
"But I don’t flinch in the face of challenges, and neither does the city of Chicago," said Johnson. "Since the first bus arrived over a year ago, we’ve upheld those values to welcome individuals seeking asylum."
As temperatures drop, time is running out to get thousands of migrants indoors.
"We have gotten to the point where we don’t even have enough shelter beds, even though we are opening a shelter every six days, we just can’t get in front of it," said Cristina Pacione-Zayas.
A community meeting was held on Wednesday night to discuss housing migrants at two new West Loop locations.
The meeting was hosted by 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett and the Office of the Mayor.
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There, shocking revelations came to light about the migrant bussing program and one particular health concern officials are working to address. Pacione-Zayas says many of the buses are dumping far more than dozens of migrants in the city: "Now we have buses that once they drop off at our landing zone, they dump all their sewage in from of our landing zone, this is the type of behavior we are encountering," she said.
Pacione-Zayas is now calling for a single point person at the federal level to help.
Meanwhile, the city is still looking for what it's calling ‘turnkey’ properties and has selected two more shelter sites in the West Loop.
Families with children have already started moving into 30 North Racine Avenue, while single adults will temporarily be calling 939 West Lake Street ‘home.’
Some in attendance during Wednesday’s meeting aren't happy with the move.
"There's a lot of finger-pointing and a lot of blame," said one man. "But if you're going to be a sanctuary city, which I don't think I ever voted for, it’s like opening an auto shop and not expecting any cars."
Others are offering support.
"We live in an incredibly prosperous, booming part of the city, the least that we can do is be generous with our space," one woman said.
Meanwhile, many still have questions.
"It's an uphill battle, but what is the short-mid and long-term plan?" asked one resident.
The meeting came hours after Galewood residents announced they are suing the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District over a plan to house migrants in the Amundsen Park Fieldhouse.
The complaint alleges that the city violated due process in coming to its decision to take away Amundsen Park services for taxpayers and instead house migrants in the facility. It also claims a "breach of public trust."
According to the mayor's office, the plan remains on hold.