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* Not a lot of details in this pretty thin story, but it raises several questions: Are private organizations really responsible for two-thirds of the migrant influx? If so, which organizations are they? Are these aid groups really shipping migrants to Chicago knowing they can’t help the migrants once they get to Chicago and that the migrants then have nowhere to go? And approximately what percentage of these trips are paid for with federal dollars? Also, if the feds are paying for this travel, why isn’t the federal government paying to house and feed them at their destinations?…
About a third of new arrivals are bused here by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, but many are also sent by Texas and Denver organizations using federal money without coordinating with Chicago officials.
Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed to Axios last week that the federal funds they provide to local organizations can be — and are — used to buy bus, train and plane tickets for migrants to come to Chicago. […]
[First Deputy Chief of Staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas] first got wind of the issue from migrants arriving at O’Hare this month who told Chicago officials that FEMA had paid for their tickets.
As far as the numbers go, Gov. Abbott claimed last week that his state has shipped about 7,200 migrants to Chicago since last year. NBC 5 reported at the end of August that Chicago “has received over 13,500 migrants in the past year from Texas, and as 6,500 are spread among the 15 currently operating shelters.” So, that’s a little over half the total, not a third. But he could be including private groups in that total.
Whatever the case, it would be nice to know who these groups are so that we can ask them for their rationale about what the heck they’re doing. I have an inkling about who one of those groups might be, but I’m still waiting on a reply.
* Back to the story…
Other priorities, according to Pacione-Zayas, include … Taking a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border to share information about Chicago’s challenges and “the forecasting of a brutal winter.”
Talking to these groups might be helpful. It would also be helpful if the rest of us knew who those groups are.
*** UPDATE *** From the Tribune last month…
Buses to Chicago are sent not only by Abbott, but also by the city of Denver and Catholic Charities in San Antonio. Denver began providing free transportation for people to other destinations in mid-December, much to the exasperation of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who in January demanded in a letter to Colorado’s governor that the city stop. Months later, under a new mayor, the buses keep arriving. […]
Denver has received more than 14,000 migrants since December, and has bought about 6,400 bus and Amtrak tickets for over $2.3 million since then, according to Victoria Aguilar, a spokesperson for Denver Human Services. Roughly a third of those have gone to Chicago, according to Denver data.
A spokesperson for Catholic Charities in Chicago told me this afternoon she was not aware of any direct collaboration with Catholic Charities in San Antonio, but would check.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 12:47 pm
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=== It would also be helpful if we knew who those groups are. ===
I’m gonna go out on a limb and bet this trail leads back to GOP insiders.
Comment by Thomas Paine Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 12:52 pm
===bet this trail leads back to GOP insiders. ===
I’m gonna bet you may be wrong.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 12:54 pm
==I have an inkling==
Indeed. Why do costly Missionary work involving a lot of travel and personal expense, when they can just be brought here instead, without doing any of that work at all?
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:00 pm
I would be developing a legal strategy around this if I worked at City Hall. Maybe a suit against the federal government or the private organizations would slow the flow or hasten the release of federal dollars.
Comment by Telly Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:00 pm
==migrants arriving at O’Hare this month who told Chicago officials that FEMA had paid for their tickets==
As fun as GOP conspiracy theories are… maybe relocating to a region that prides itself as a “sanctuary city” is a natural choice for migrants? Maybe migrants heard about free healthcare for non citizens in IL? Maybe, just maybe, a lot of this is an unforced error on IL’s part?
Comment by What's the point? Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:12 pm
would Homeland Security know how money is spent by organizations it gives money to? If so i would think it would be subject to a FOIA unless Homeland Security is not subject to FOIA which would not surprise me at all
Comment by DuPage Saint Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:12 pm
Slow the flow?? You ain’t seen nothing yet.. as the Biden administration continues to lose the battle at the southern border, I expect Gov Abbott to triple the bus loads the closer we get to the Democratic convention.. you want to be a sanctuary city “here you go”..
Comment by NotRich Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:13 pm
- Indeed. Why do costly Missionary work involving a lot of travel and personal expense, when they can just be brought here instead -
Religious orgs were my first thought as well.
Comment by Excitable Boy Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:21 pm
yeah, find out about this. and ask the Federal officials, including the VP who keeps visiting here, what exactly they are doing about border crossings. as a Democrat, I know the alternatives to the top leaders are not acceptable. that does not mean I want state and local officials to forgo question the top leaders. I don’t think the top leaders are doing a great job.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:30 pm
–I know the alternatives to the top leaders are not acceptable–
Thank you for verbalizing this. It has also been a festering concern of mine that a lack of a viable alternative, is going to lead to some absolutely atrocious leadership choices being made just to avoid the even worse option.
I’m sure the White Sox could beat a 12U traveling team(for the sake of argument at least). But that wouldn’t mean the White Sox play good baseball.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:38 pm
My kingdom for a detail.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:38 pm
===lose the battle at the southern border===
Cite, please.
The politics of sending people as chattel is one issue different from ANY state unable to deal with a crisis that has limited federal funding to meet a national need within all the states.
You’d think any and all governors would recognize a need to work together if this need is (it is, by the way) a humanitarian one we have domestically. Governors that politicize any and all forced, clandestine movements are at a fault and at the peril of actual people.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:39 pm
The term “battle” referring to immigrants is the type of angry that isn’t designed for a solution.
If there was a “battle”, actual military operations by warring countries would be more appropriate.
It’s like saying “once we lose this battle, we will have no borders”
I spent a great deal of yesterday with “in-law uncles” who talked about socialism/communism.. on a farm…
The crisis if one is talking such things is an unprepared Illinois/Chicago with limited federal help to an overall and a lack of planning without adequate funding lets fester bad results.
What was a metaphor not long ago used for this type of crisis “building a plane in mid flight”? Well, that’s partially true, but this idea no one is aware of what could be ahead is misleading or lying to themselves.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:47 pm
The feds should be spending more to shelter immigrants when and where they arrive. If someone, whether a Republican governor or someone else, intervenes and ships them to the nations interior without coordinating with federal authorities or with local organizations where they’re being shipped, that doesn’t help the bigger picture at all.
I don’t see the Republican House going along with more spending for immigrants, but someone , maybe someone who’s currently catching flak for the situation, should make the argument.
Comment by Socially DIstant watcher Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:52 pm
I mean, providing transportation for people seems like it would be legitimate use of funds. Cities in Texas are just as overflowing, if not more so. But yeah, getting people on the record as to what they’re doing sounds good. I might suggest being slightly less hostile when asking those questions, is all.
Comment by Perrid Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:55 pm
A better question(s) seem how long has this been going on and where was our IL media on this one?
Oh and where were the state and local government. I think the person quoted was a state senator until last month.
Comment by Annonin' Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 1:57 pm
I doubt it would be Catholic Charities. They have an organization in Texas and one in IL and I would think would talk to each other.
That being said, bringing a migrant to Chicago who has friends and/or relatives already here makes a world of sense.
Unforced error? It was an error to provide health care to the migrants that arrive on our doorstep? That’s an error I would be proud to admit.
Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 2:04 pm
@TheInvisibleMan thank you. so much to do.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 2:09 pm
A year ago, the City of El Paso was chartering buses separate from Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s busing program (known as “Operation Lone Star”) and sending migrants voluntarily to both the City of Chicago and New York City.
El Paso’s solo bus program ended in mid October of last year, with the final count, according to El Paso’s city dashboard, of 3,259 migrants sent to Chicago.
That number was in addition to migrants bused through the Operation Lone Star program at that time.
That El Paso figure has not changed in nearly a year, and migrants bused out of El Paso are now part of Governor Abbott’s state program.
The various NGOs helping migrants find food and shelter well documented. Whether these NGOs are paying for transportation to NYC and Chicago and other points, and receiving federal reimbursement, is unknown.
Note the federal reimbursement section on El Paso’s Migrant Crisis dashboard:
https://www.elpasotexas.gov/Migrant-Crisis
Comment by John Lopez Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 2:10 pm
I am curious about the migrant’s choice of the word, FEMA.
Federal Emergency Management funding would implicate a different beast, and would require an emergency declaration that would be apparent.
If FEMA funding is in fact being used to move refugees and asylees to Chicago, then the applicants for that funding would seem to be abusing the FEMA system in order to use such funds to illegally evacuate migrants to Illinois.
Comment by H-W Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 2:10 pm
Are any of the migrants transported by the federal government to Chicago? I know feds have relocated some migrants out of border states.
Comment by Original Anon Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 2:24 pm
@ John Lopez
The FAQs section of that page is enlightening. They seem to avoid indicating the source of funding for transportation to Chicago, although they indicate they are assisting with family reunification efforts. But while they talk about NGOs helping with food and shelter, and the talk about FEMA funding to assist with food and shelter, the page does not address funding for transportation.
Thanks for the link.
Comment by H-W Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 2:29 pm
On the arriving side, I would like to see the connections/involvement of CTU in the migrant acceptance process. More migrants means more kids enrolled in CPS which helps offset the otherwise substantially diminishing enrollment.
Comment by Helm Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 2:32 pm
So Catholic Charities pays for a train ticket so that a migrant family in San Antonio can live with their uncle in Chicago, and they’re the bad guy now?
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 3:10 pm
“can live with their uncle in Chicago”
Their uncles all live in the same police stations?
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 3:13 pm
OW
If the border is going so well why is Chicago going to be hundreds of millions in the hole to take care of them”?
Comment by smile politely Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 3:25 pm
===why===
… not work with Illinois, New York, other places instead of surprising these locations as a “punishment to own the Libs”?
Are you smiling politely during these bus loadings or…
See, here’s the crying about all this “battle” stuff.
The Feds aren’t doing what they need for anyplace taking on immigrants.
Texas would rather own Libs or hurt people to seem “strong” as opposed to have a “summit” with the Democrat Governors” and in a bipartisan manner work out…
1) the safe and consistent movement to new locations.
2) secure funding for all these states (say CA, NM, AZ, TX… then IL, NY, etc)
3) lead from the state level to force the Feds to step up and actually help Texas or wherever there’s these battles.
No, what you want is to smile politely, nay, grin sheepishly at the pain of all, and “well, you wanted it”
Yeah. That helps no one.
How’s that? We good? I can’t tell with that grin and blank face.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 3:50 pm
Michael Yon (longtime war correspondent) on twitter tracks these migrant groups from the Darien Pass.
https://twitter.com/michael_yon
Comment by 50yd Line Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 4:40 pm
===The Feds aren’t doing what they need for anyplace taking on immigrants.===
The federal government is not a money faucet. There is still Article I of the U.S. constitution.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 4:55 pm
===The federal government is not a money faucet===
The Feds print money.
Explain the overall tax cuts.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 4:58 pm
For awhile we have sat back and watched what was happening on the border . It wasn’t our problem then . Not until they started to be sent here in large numbers. As I have said in earlier posts we are one country and need a countrywide solution. That means the Federal government needs to step up with a transparent program and funding. In the long run a lot of these migrants will bring new energy to Chicago and our state . But we need a plan . Also those who are here violating our laws need to be sent back.
Comment by Tinman Wednesday, Sep 13, 23 @ 5:00 pm