Chicago mayor faces budget challenge amidst migrant influx

CHICAGO - To call it a unicorn sighting would be hyperbole, but it was certainly an unusual sight at City Hall Wednesday afternoon.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stood behind a podium and fielded questions from reporters.

Among the pressing issues facing the still newly-minted Johnson administration: taming unruly teens, finding the city’s next top cop, and perhaps most daunting of all so early in his first term — what to do about the ongoing migrant crisis plaguing the city.

"My position has not changed," insisted Johnson. "Transitioning individuals out of police stations is still top of mind—finding more adequate shelters for families."

Among the more "adequate" shelters, the Broadway Armory, which this week became a temporary home to men women and children bused here from out of state ahead of Lollapalooza.

That said, there’s still the issue of who’s to cover the enormous expense of caring for the 10,000 migrants who have arrived here since Texas Governor Greg Abbott began his impromptu relocation campaign last summer.

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Mayor Johnson insists his new budget won’t include Chicagoans footing the bill.

"My vision for the city of Chicago as I’ve laid out very specifically is not balancing the budget on the backs of working people—I’m committed to that."

So what about the feds? Back in May, Chicago asked FEMA for a bare minimum $38+ million to help defray costs. The city reportedly received less than $5 million.

To remedy the dire financial situation, Johnson told reporters he has personally spoken with both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.