A number of Illinois Democrats criticized Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) for his acceptance of thousands of migrants who entered his city. The mayor’s policies, they argued, are causing severe strain for the city and could ultimately push Illinois closer to a Republican victory, despite the state being a Democratic Party stronghold for decades.
The conservative news magazine The National Review interviewed a number of prominent Illinois Democrats about the ongoing migrant crisis in the city.
One candidate for the Cook County Board of Commissioners said that the thousands of illegal immigrants who entered the city had “jumped the line.”
The candidate said that the issue was causing “division in our Democratic party” and that Illinois voters “have woke up.”
The candidate also placed the blame on President Joe Biden, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and the Chicago mayor, rather than Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R).
Abbott had sent a number of migrants to northern states and cities, including a number of self-declared ‘sanctuary’ locations. Abbott recently said on social media that more than 31,000 migrants were sent to Chicago, second only to the almost 38,000 sent to New York City.
“It’s not Abbott’s fault, because he didn’t ask for it. We asked for it,” said the candidate.
Under #OperationLoneStar, Texas has transported over 103,100 migrants to sanctuary cities:
Over 12,500 to DC
Over 37,800 to NYC
Over 31,400 to Chicago
Over 3,400 to Philadelphia
Over 16,200 to Denver
Over 1,500 to LATexas will not stop until President Biden secures the border.
— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) February 12, 2024
A left-wing activist interviewed by the publication asked what state “could possibly take in millions of refugees?”
Another activist, Tio Hardiman said “if you look at Chicago now, you have high unemployment rates among African-American youth in particular, you have a lack of mental-health services in Chicago, you had thousands of homeless people in Chicago already that were never, ever focused on like they are focusing on the migrants.”
Hardiman said that he was not “against them living their lives.” However, he said that the situation was “creating too much competition between poor people in Chicago that never, ever received this level of support. Never ever.”
The sharp increase of migrants in the city has led to considerable protests against the mayor’s policies, including the proposed use of a former high school as a migrant shelter.
