An effort to bring several hundred migrants to Chicago met with significant resistance from local residents this week.
The city recently announced a plan to use a former high school to house between 250 and 500 migrants instead of the current arrangements in which the migrants are housed in police stations.
The former South Shore High School is currently used by the Chicago Police Department.
The plan received a significant crowd at a recent meeting. Many of those against the proposal instead want the former academic building to be used as a community center.
When a city official told the crowd that the situation was a “humanitarian crisis,” one resident asked how Chicago could “do that without consulting us.”
Local news reports from the meeting showed a large number of residents speaking against the plan, with several citing the cost of the program and safety concerns.
South Shore, Chicago voted for Joe Biden in 2020 by a whopping 97%
This is how residents are reacting to 250-500 migrants coming to their area: pic.twitter.com/X4lbibdStV
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 12, 2023
One resident said that the city suddenly has “deep pockets for people who don’t pay taxes. I understand helping people, but you start with your own people.”
One resident event demanded finishing the border wall began by former President Donald Trump.
In 2020, the 8th Ward, in which the school is located gave Joe Biden 95.74% of its votes. Just 3.25% voted for Trump.
The city was declared a sanctuary city by Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) in 2019. At the time, Lightfoot called Trump’s policies “racist, anti-immigrant terror.”
However, this week the mayor declared an emergency over recent migrant arrivals.
The move happened after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) transported 48 migrants to the Windy City.
The mayor said that Chicago’s government was “stretched to the breaking point.”
The recent increase in migrants also comes as governments at every level are preparing for the consequences of the end of the Title 42 immigration policy.
The program’s end Thursday may lead to migrant waves coming into the United States as high as 13,000 per day, according to some estimates. Customs and Border Patrol recently announced an all-time high in daily crossings.
