Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list
Next Post: GOP poll: Just 20 percent pessimistic about Illinois’ economy
Posted in:
* Politico…
Behind closed doors: [Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson] met privately with small groups of aldermen Friday — keeping groups small avoids the pesky open meeting rules — to brief them on how the city will no longer set up new shelter space because the costs are too high. That means it won’t build industrial tents for migrants, either. Here’s a copy of the briefing report obtained by Playbook.
New strategy: The city will work with churches and private individuals to find beds for asylum seekers. And as individuals leave any of the current shelters, beds will open for the next wave of migrants. And while the cold snap continues, the Harold Washington Library will serve as a warming center for some asylum seekers as well as for the already unhoused.
The goal: Get asylum seekers into regular housing as soon as possible or send them back to the landing area, which is a shelter of sorts until beds open up in the current shelters. Getting folks out of shelters and into housing will be easier now that the state has staffed up case managers in nearly all of the city’s 28 shelters, the aldermen were told.
[From Rich: The landing area is not a “shelter of sorts.” Heated buses ain’t shelters. This “plan” is not a plan. Instead, it’s the mayor deciding that reality will not intrude on his other priorities. Also, his budget deliberately underfunded this effort and the money will run out in April. What’s the city gonna do then?]
*** UPDATE 1 *** Gov. Pritzker was asked about this report today…
We do not have enough shelter as it is in the city of Chicago. The city has not told the state where they would like us to put our resources to build new shelters or help them build new shelters. So we can’t help if they don’t identify those locations. And we need to make sure that we’re not ending shelter capacity as the city is now planning to do at the end of winter. If you think this problem is going to end when the temperature warms up, it’s not. We still need shelter for people. So I’m deeply concerned and I’m hoping that at least the plan that I read this morning actually in your column is not one that they will end up carrying out.
…Adding… From comments…
this reminds me of the line in Band Of Brothers about a lieutenant: “He wasn’t a bad leader because he made bad decisions. He was a bad leader because he made no decisions.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Um, this statement from the city ignores the approximately $600 million spent by the state. The city has not “carried the entire of weight”…
There are 1,300 municipalities in the State of Illinois, of which Chicago is one. The State has the authority to fund, stand up and operate a shelter in any one of those municipalities at any time that it chooses, including the City of Chicago. When announcing additional funding for the mission on November 16, 2023, the State reduced the length of rental assistance from six to three months for all residents in shelter. The 60-day shelter policy was announced in conjunction with State investments to accelerate outmigration and resettlement.
Our goal is to manage the immediate humanitarian crisis while providing the necessary resources for asylum seekers to achieve independence and self-sufficiency. The City of Chicago has taken in nearly 35,000 new arrivals since the mission began, and currently houses 14,000 new arrivals in 28 City-run shelters. Outmigration and resettlement services have been expanded significantly to create more open beds within the shelter system.
We continue to partner with the County and the State to provide asylum seekers with temporary shelter, food services, medical care and case management, and will support the State in fulfilling its promise of 2,200 shelter beds made back in November. Thus far, the City of Chicago has carried the entire of weight of the new arrival mission, sheltering nearly every asylum seeker sent to Illinois. We remain committed, however, to ensuring that asylum seekers are housed while also fulfilling our fiduciary responsibilities to the people of Chicago.
Also, resettlement is being handled by the state, not the city.
And this once again begs the question: Is the progressive mayor just going to dump migrants into the street when his woefully inadequate budget runs out of appropriations authority?
* Block Club…
Migrants and volunteers told Block Club that the changing deadline for leaving shelters has created “panic,” with communication from the city limited to single-page eviction notices in Spanish, often passed out just a day or two before shelter stays are said to be up.
Some migrants still have outdated eviction notices penned for Jan. 22, when the deadline was first extended, said volunteer Erika Villegas, who has been receiving frantic messages from families with pictures of the notices. […]
Mayoral spokesperson Ronnie Reese said plans are still in flux.
“We are currently finalizing changes to the 60-day policy and will have more information in the coming weeks,” Reese said in an email.
[From Rich: More info in “the coming weeks”? Their evictions were scheduled for today.]
* ABC Chicago…
New numbers Friday show the cost Texas paid to fly migrants to Illinois last month.
Two flights were chartered by the Texas state government late last year. One flew from El Paso and landed at O’Hare Airport. The other was from San Antonio and landed in Rockford. […]
The Texas Division of Emergency Management spent $135,000 on the flight that landed at O’Hare and more than $235,000 on the flight to Rockford.
The flight from El Paso carried more than 120 migrants to Chicago, which means at least $1,000 was spent per migrant. There were more than 300 asylum seekers on the flight to Rockford.
* More…
* The Hill | Texas company sues Chicago over penalties on buses dropping of migrants: The suit argues Chicago’s penalties are a violation of the interstate commerce clause, and the equal rights and due process of the company and the migrants on buses. “Rather than welcoming migrants and giving them sanctuary, Chicago is turning its back on those wishing to travel here by enacting an ordinance that targets the transportation companies that transport migrants from our southern border to their desired destination — Chicago. — in violation of Plaintiff’s constitutional rights,” the suit stated.
* NPR | Chicago mayor talks immigration as city shelters reach breaking point: Mayors from all over the country are meeting in Washington D.C. this week to discuss immigration and other pressing issues in their cities. We get the latest from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
* Rockford Register Star | What happened the night a plane filled with asylum seekers landed in Rockford?: With temperatures dipping to 30 degrees in the early morning hours of New Year’s Eve, migrant families who went to Texas seeking asylum, found themselves exiting an Eastern Airlines charter plane in Rockford. Most of the 355 people were children, officials say, and they were wearing t-shirts, shorts and flip flops.
* The Record | Wilmette steps up for arriving migrants, leading Village to expand donation drive: The Village started an impromptu winter-clothing drive to support migrants by placing donation boxes inside the town’s Metra station, 722 Green Bay Road. It didn’t take long for community members to respond. “The response was incredible,” Village Manager Mike Braiman said. “The station was filled wall to wall with donations within a couple of days.”
posted by Isabel Miller
Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 12:04 pm
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list
Next Post: GOP poll: Just 20 percent pessimistic about Illinois’ economy
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
No plan is the new plan? Interesting approach from the mayor and team… deeply concerning but interesting nonetheless.
Comment by DisappointedVoter Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 12:34 pm
Very disappointing. The first thing you should expect when running for office is that your plan will not survive as written. That is why having values and judgment are the critical thing when you vote. Unfortunately, I like the Mayor’s values, but his judgment is awful and hurting the values he has.
Comment by ArchPundit Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 12:47 pm
Kass has been floating wacky rumors about Mayor Johnson and CityWire has been spreading them.
Comment by Big Dipper Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 12:54 pm
City Hall and the Mayor’s office lack the expertise to manage the migrant crisis in Chicago.
Yet, on the Archdiocese of Chicago’s website, there are listings for vacant schools available for lease and contact information for each location. The listings indicate available classroom space in twenty-one buildings located in the city of Chicago.
The buildings have classroom space, bathrooms on each floor, cafeteria space and office space on the premises. If buildings need updating, the Building Trades can facilitate that in short order.
If I can locate this information as a private citizen, why is the mayor’s office and team unable to move forward?
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 12:56 pm
===why is the mayor’s office and team unable to move forward? ===
The mayor is saying no new shelters, so they don’t need to find any more locations, apparently.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 12:57 pm
This Mayor is wholly incapable of adapting to anything. The leader of one of the largest cities in the county seems to be completely paralyzed when it comes to making decisions.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:00 pm
=The leader of one of the largest cities in the county seems to be completely paralyzed when it comes to making decisions.=
this reminds me of the line in Band Of Brothers about a lieutenant: “He wasn’t a bad leader because he made bad decisions. He was a bad leader because he made no decisions.”
Comment by 47th Ward Pizza Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:03 pm
The mayor thinks he can put out a plan that isn’t a plan to get the state to make up for things. This is the bold, progressive leadership from United Working Families and the Chicago Teachers’s Union.
Comment by pragmatist Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:13 pm
I hope JB takes over the Democratic Convention. Otherwise it will be a disaster and Dems don’t need that.
Comment by Banish Misfortune Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:22 pm
I’m sure tomorrow’s marching orders of the day from Stacey to Brandon will have a solid plan in place. If you think the M crisis is bad, just wait till CTU tells BJ how the new CPS contract will work.
Comment by NotRich Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:24 pm
It would cause absolute panic and a firestorm but there are some former state operated DD centers that have bedrooms, dining and kitchen areas, recreation areas as well as spaces to provide basic medical services.
Have no idea what shape they are in now or how soon they could be made ready, but to me, it seems something to consider.
Comment by Give Me A Break Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:26 pm
The plan is…there is no plan. This administration never had a plan, working group, or comprehensive executable strategy on anything dealing with the migrant crisis. They just knew they didn’t like the previous Mayors and called it a day, while hoping and begging for the federal government to provide unlimited money.
Yes, we are still about 30 months away from anyone ramping up to run against, but Mayor Johnson has certainly given enough ammo, and I can’t imagine there will be a shortage of gaffs to come.
Comment by LastModDemStanding Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:27 pm
===but there are some former state operated DD centers that have===
Again, the mayor says he’s not interested in opening new shelters.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:29 pm
I think the Mayor’s reasoning is other people were homeless in the past, so the migrants can be homeless too. That is a statement of values, and the values are not mine and not good.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:34 pm
“Again, the mayor says he’s not interested in opening new shelters.”
Forgot about that part. My bad.
Comment by Give Me A Break Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:38 pm
== Getting folks out of shelters and into housing will be easier now that the state has staffed up case managers in nearly all of the city’s 28 shelters, the aldermen were told. ==
That might the city laying the groundwork to blame the state. I can see a few weeks from now city hall saying something like “the state’s case managers aren’t placing migrants in housing quick enough” to justify whatever problems are evident, like migrants going back to police stations.
Comment by Telly Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:42 pm
- Telly -
Correct, thats the trend–always lay the groundwork to blame others and avoid accountability. The State is next up on the list since we’re 8+ months in and the previous Mayoral admin can’t be blamed anymore.
Comment by LastModDemStanding Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 1:56 pm
About the state staffing case managers…
Are the case managers bilingual? From where did this available housing supply suddenly appear? Are migrants expected to pay for rental housing if they have no work permits?
So many questions and no answers.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 2:01 pm
Can someone help me understand something: for tenants in Chicago it takes over a year to evict someone. Why is anyone worried about migrants receiving an eviction notice if it still takes a year+ before the Sheriff shows up?
Comment by Just Me 2 Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 2:02 pm
===Why is anyone worried about migrants receiving an eviction notice===
Because they are not covered by that law.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 2:15 pm
Being an executive means the job is managing a field of tension, sometimes operating tension but mostly finding remedy to bring equilibrium to the tensions.
In Chicago, every stakeholder group is dysregulated. Dysregulation leads to harm.
Has the Mayor had a press conference since WTTW broke news last week that he was notified of shelter conditions? Does anyone think the Halsted shelter is the only place with poor conditions/outcomes?
The Mayor’s first impulse is to cover-up and stay silent on conditions in Chicago, which is ridiculous. Why not put the progressive values to work for housing solutions?
Comment by Chicago Voter Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 2:27 pm
Seeing migrants panhandling is a daily occurrence in Chicago and Cook County. One fellow was standing in the parking lot outside of a grocery store a few hours ago.
As for Mayor Johnson, the absence of any long term plan is really an indictment of his failed leadership.
Comment by Gravitas Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 2:29 pm
Not that this would solve anything, but it would be lots of fun to see Walter Jacobson dress up as a migrant and spend time in Brandon Johnson’s migrant “solution” location. He could be really, really miserable.
Comment by Old IL Dude Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 2:33 pm
What if we had businessman running things? (sarcasm intentional)
Comment by Jerry Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 2:36 pm
Meanwhile in Naperville former Awake IL Vice Chair Josh McBroom “suggests” people take migrants into their homes. Except if you read his social media, apparently he was just trying to “own the libs.” And now supposedly he’s actually made a sign up form, complete with questions like “do you want to take in people with criminal sexual assault backgrounds?” The IL GOP, ladies and gentlemen. https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/ct-nvs-naperville-migrant-families-housing-mcbroom-st-0119-20240117-7shavac5v5au3b3gdlewvkvjia-story.html
Comment by MeanwhileInNaperville Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 3:26 pm
==hope JB takes over the Democratic Convention==
Not making excuses for MBJ, but this has always been the JB show
Comment by Wally Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 3:26 pm
The most disappointing about the asylee crisis is the mayor is trying to set up the governor to take the blame while asylees deal with horrific conditions. I am curious to know how the mayor thinks he will win this fight. Also disappointing is the silence from city council progressives. Instead of pushing the mayor to do and be better, they are writing resolutions about Gaza. I never thought I would say this: I miss Lightfoot.
Comment by pragmatist Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 3:37 pm
==. “Rather than welcoming migrants and giving them sanctuary, Chicago is turning its back on those wishing to travel here” ==
Talk about pot calling kettle. Texas isnt exactly welcoming them either.
Comment by low level Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 3:47 pm
“The Texas Division of Emergency Management spent $135,000 on the flight that landed at O’Hare and more than $235,000 on the flight to Rockford.”
Did they use federal dollars? What was the Waste, Fraud and Abuse hotline again?
Comment by DeeLay Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 4:09 pm
Thankfully the Mayor clarified the issue and it turned out that it is all the Governor’s fault
Comment by DuPage Saint Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 5:56 pm
“Thus far, the City of Chicago has carried the entire of weight of the new arrival mission, sheltering nearly every asylum seeker sent to Illinois.”
Hoo boy. Edit: “ Thus far, progressives in Chicago including the DSA, UWF, and CTU have carried the entire weight of the mission of passing a resolution on Gaza and blaming the governor for all else.”
Comment by pragmatist Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 6:04 pm
==Did they use federal dollars?==
Gee wonder if any of these aviation and bus companies made contributions to Abbott?
Comment by Big Dipper Monday, Jan 22, 24 @ 7:11 pm
So many things wrong, and so little direction from the Fifth Floor. Some have already noted that when the next election cycle hits, there is going to be a lot of “Go Brandon” snark and memes hitting out there. And sadly, we know this isn’t going to be the last gaffe - though it could well be the biggest.
Comment by Just a guy Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 3:30 pm