* This was distributed by the city during a briefing about new arrivals today…
Kinda makes you wonder if the city intends to just dump folks into the street.
Meanwhile, Texas keeps sending people here.
…Adding… So, they told legislators they’re pausing new shelters and downsizing them, and then told the news media this, according to the Tribune…
Mayor Brandon Johnson is delaying enforcing his 60-day migrant shelter limit policy for the first group of asylum-seekers who were due to be required to leave this month, his administration announced Friday as heavy snowfall and low wind chills pummeled the city.
Brandie Knazze, commissioner of the Department of Family and Support Services, said the first migrants set to be kicked out of the city shelters next Tuesday — about 50 of them, who have been in the system since 2022 — will no longer need to leave by then. Those due to leave between then and Jan. 21 will also be allowed to stay “until at least Jan. 22nd,” she said.
…Adding… Pritzker tries to appeal to Abbott’s humanity…
January 12, 2024
Governor Abbott,
The ongoing international migration crisis that our nation faces demands a strong, compassionate, and humane response. We agree that our nation needs immigration reform, but instead of advocating for that, you have chosen to sow chaos in an attempt to score political points. You are now sending asylum seekers from Texas to the Upper Midwest in the middle of winter — many without coats, without shoes to protect them from the snow — to a city whose shelters are already overfilled with migrants you sent here. Chicago’s temperatures this weekend are forecast to drop below zero. Your callousness, sending buses and planes full of migrants in this weather, is now life-threatening to every one of the arrivals. Hundreds of children’s and families’ health and survival are at risk due to your actions.
We refuse to play your political game of exploiting the most vulnerable for the sake of culture wars and talking points. You seem to have no interest in working on bipartisan solutions to the border crisis because that would put an end to your cruel political game, but I am writing to you today hoping to appeal to your humanity. Over the coming days, Illinois will experience a dangerous winter storm and subzero temperatures. I strongly urge you to stop sending people to Illinois in these conditions. You are dropping off asylum seekers without alerting us to their arrivals, at improper locations at all hours of the night. As we grapple with the existing challenges of your ongoing manufactured crisis, the next few days are a threat to the families and children you are sending here. I am pleading with you to at least pause these transports in order to save lives.
There is much more that needs to be done by the federal government to provide aid to asylum seekers and to secure the border. I understand that the border crisis is untenable for border states. Illinois, and all other states, especially Texas, ought to lobby Congress immediately to vote for bipartisan immigration reform.
While action is pending at the federal level, I plead with you for mercy for the thousands of people who are powerless to speak for themselves. Please, while winter is threatening vulnerable people’s lives, suspend your transports and do not send more people to our state. We are asking you to help prevent additional deaths. We should be able to come together in a bipartisan fashion to urge Congress to act. But right now, we are talking about human beings and their survival. I hope we can at least agree on saving lives right now.
Sincerely,
Governor JB Pritzker
State of Illinois
- Hannibal Lecter - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 12:05 pm:
The City does not have the obligation or resources to provide food, shelter or clothing to these individuals - especially if there is no budget for it. The fact that they are trying to provide food and shelter to these folks shows that they are trying to do right by these people. The Federal government really needs to step up. Like yesterday.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 12:20 pm:
I think this administration is proving that its values are far more pedantic than substantive.
- Montrose - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 12:20 pm:
I am mostly with Hannibal, though I would say we have a moral obligation to provide this support. I am not saying there isn’t lots of things the city could do better, but I am having a hard time throwing stones at them for having difficulty managing this manufactured crisis. I am 110% with Hannibal on the need for the Feds to finally step into the rightful role.
- LastModDemStanding - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 12:26 pm:
This is ridiculous. The Mayor seems to be mostly concerned with popularity instead of governing.
Once again, pointing out there is no comprehensive plan for welcoming and resettlement and the administration clearly does not have the expertise to execute on, well anything.
Tough decisions need to be made on whether the City is willing to accept large numbers of migrants or not. If we are, then there HAS to be plan. It is unconscionable to put up a facade that we will be welcoming and then leave folks on the street.
Those that have been commenting and following for months have pointed the flaws of the Admin and sadly, things have only gotten worse.
- King Louis XVI - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 12:26 pm:
Whenever government seeks to “right size “ a program, somebody’s boat capsizes.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 12:31 pm:
Running out of time for Johnson to make a good first impression….
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 12:37 pm:
Remember, the administration is not spending the money it appropriated already to aid the migrants. The deplorable conditions the migrants face is all willful. This is what they want.
- Manchester - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 12:44 pm:
Unfortunately, Governor Pritzker might as well make an appeal to a rock as send one to Governor Abbott. It would likely have the same effect, exactly nothing. However, kudos to Governor Pritzker for trying.
- Anon404 - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 12:51 pm:
I don’t get the appeal to Abbott. It accomplishes nothing other than to give him exactly what he wants politically (“look everyone, I’m makin’ the libs cry.”) And anytime he’s mentioned by Johnson, he seems to open the spigot wider.
- LastModDemStanding - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 12:54 pm:
Re: Pritzkers Letter
Whether one agrees or not with the position, Abbott is advocating at the federal level - tightening the border and the asylum rule change. I actually haven’t seen Pritzker take an advocacy stance at the federal level on any immigration reforms. Chicago also hasn’t done anything meaningful advocacy on the issue at the federal level, considering the Mayor only met with the Congressional delegation for the first time last week.
- Jibba - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 12:59 pm:
Typically I think JB hits the right notes, but this letter is off the mark. Either appeal to his humanity or criticize. You can’t do both in the same letter. And start paying for buses back to Texas for willing passengers.
- Who else - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:00 pm:
These comments have made me reconsider my initial reaction. I asked if there was a plan to keep people from dying. I think the answer is that there is no plan, but that “no plan” is the plan. I suppose if you want to “right size” your budget without regard for the implications to populations, that is, on it’s own, your plan. That was certainly the plan for the state under Rauner. There was lots of right-sizing during those four years when having no plan was the plan.
- Red Ranger - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:01 pm:
Pritzker’s letter reminds me of the line that is often derided on this blog, which is, “lets sit down in a room, lock the door and not come out until we have a solution.” Pritzker doesnt have a plan or a thought on this; its basically a more polished version of the Johnson plan, which is nothing. Telling Greg Abbott, “you deal with it” isnt appealing to humanity, its just blame shifting.
- Steve - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:09 pm:
JB Pritzker: why can’t all asylum seekers stay in Texas?
- Joe Schmoe - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:11 pm:
As long as JB doesn’t agree with Abbott that the border needs to be secure, they’ll keep sending them to Chicago.
- Jocko - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:13 pm:
Rightsizing? If Mayor Johnson keeps this up, I’m waiting for the Scooby Doo moment when Brandon takes off the mask and reveals himself as Bruce Rauner in disguise.
- reality - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:14 pm:
The letter is for the press and the ensuing coverage, no one actually thinks this will move the needle for a man who clearly has no shred of humanity.
- Pundent - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:18 pm:
=Tough decisions need to be made on whether the City is willing to accept large numbers of migrants or not. =
I think the answer is not as they did not voluntarily agree to having buses sent from Texas. There’s plenty to criticize Johnson over on this topic. But we also have to acknowledge that no city is prepared for what Texas is doing.
- Abbott's wheelchair - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:19 pm:
Dear JB, Texas will be happy to keep the hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in our border towns that have fewer than 30K citizens when you send some of your personal wealth our way. The Chicago metro area has about 9M people yet somehow can’t handle adding 0.1% in asylum seekers.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:24 pm:
===yet somehow can’t handle adding 0.1% in asylum seekers===
Either you’re not very bright or you’re deliberately untruthful.
The city could easily handle thousands more of them if they were allowed to work.
- Demoralized - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:25 pm:
@Abbotts Wheelchair
The Governor is right now speaking specifically about the dangerous weather Illinois is experiencing right now. He’s asking the Governor to do something he has so far been incapable of doing and that is to be human. Sending them here at this particular moment is sending them to their death. But you and your ilk don’t care.
- Montrose - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:29 pm:
“The city could easily handle thousands more of them if they were allowed to work.”
This. The Johnson administration often points to how easily it was to integrate 30,000 Ukrainians that had federal support, coordination, and are allowed to work.
- LastModDemStanding - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:35 pm:
@Prudent
I acknowledge what Abbott is doing but the fact no city is prepared is false. There are cities that absorb immigrants in massive numbers. The difference being is they have plans, anticipate, staff and work with NGOs/Philanthropy. This wasn’t a surprise to the Johnson Admin, literally anyone who follows current events could have foreseen this. It even started before him!
Chicago is under population of what it was 50 years ago; this could have been the start to a revitalization of sorts, but failed leadership did not create any plans, partner with philanthropy in a meaningful way, liase with the federal government, or staff City Hall for the moment.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 1:37 pm:
===There are cities that absorb immigrants in massive numbers===
Name one. But name one where the immigrants aren’t allowed to work and will be sent back if they do.
- LastModDemStanding - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 2:29 pm:
San Diego. I’m not sure what you mean “by sent back if they work”, but people without work authorization have been able to figure it out for decades (which is another issue frequently arising from Mexican immigrants who have been here for decades). Furthermore, work permits are taking 30-45 days now through the States workshops that began in mid November; unfortunately, the MO’s did not plan or organize anything around this issue earlier.
- Amalia - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 3:00 pm:
appeal to Abbott’s humanity? he has none. he’s an actual Mr. Potter.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 3:03 pm:
===which is another issue frequently arising from Mexican immigrants who have been here for decades===
They weren’t being tracked by the government from the border onward.
C’mon, you cannot possibly be that dense.
- Pundent - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 3:27 pm:
LastModDemStanding - I suppose Johnson could actually fix this crisis if he followed your lead and ignored the reality of the situation. But I appreciate your take as it allows others to clarify how challenging the situation is and why the problem is not easily solved. But as is often written here, governing is hard.
- Anon404 - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 3:30 pm:
== There are cities that absorb immigrants in massive numbers ==
Yes, but in those cases, unlike this situation, the immigrants almost always have a place to stay. There have been plenty instances over the years (particularly in the 90’s) when 30,000 or more immigrants from Mexico came to the Chicago area within the same 18-month period — legally or not. They almost all moved into a relative’s or friend’s home. And most already had a line on a job, legally or not. Classic family-based chain migration. That ain’t happening with this wave.
- Nick Name - Friday, Jan 12, 24 @ 4:27 pm:
The GOP has sunk so low that the only way Republicans think they can win elections is to be as odious as possible.