Rolling one crisis into another to boost the city’s outlook, Chicago’s mayor announced his plan to use nearly $100 million from COVID relief to cover the ever-rising illegal alien tab.
Like his Big Apple peer, Windy City Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) has continually played the victim as Chicago has faced its own flood of illegal aliens, many of whom had been transported from the southern border courtesy of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R).
Now, after the federal government handed over tens of millions via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Hizzoner marked a “budget surplus” and intends to use the gifted funds from American taxpayers to further cover housing roughly 15,000 illegal migrants currently occupying shelters throughout Chicago.
“This doesn’t change that outlook,” Johnson senior adviser Jason Lee told the Chicago Sun-Times regarding concerns over available resources to address the crisis. “We’re going to continue to lobby the federal government for more support as the situation becomes, frankly, more unstable.”
In total, the mayor had reallocated $95 from the ARPA that had been meant for handling COVID-19 in 2021 after already spending over $138 million on the crisis, the Sun-Times indicated.
Releasing a statement on the decision, Johnson said in part, “…we are allocating federal funds to deal with a federal problem. By allocating ARPA funding for this mission, we are meeting the City’s financial obligations without cutting the critical services that Chicagoans rely on every day.”
During a recent appearance on CNN, Johnson continued to criticize President Joe Biden’s administration for the handling of the border crisis, though he pegged significant blame on policies from the previous administration and Abbott’s busing program.
“What I have worked to do instead of having chaos is provided some structure and calm around the situation and, without significant federal support, this is not sustainable,” he contended.
(Video: CNN)
“I’ve said repeatedly we need more resources,” the mayor continued as he helped himself to the millions that had become a slush fund.
City Budget Director Annette Guzman told the Sun-Times that in addition to the $95 million the newspaper reported “effectively already…spent on leases, staffing, food and supplies for some of the 27 shelters that have been launched since last year,” another roughly $400 million in ARPA dollars “earmarked for community projects” was expected to remain untouched for the alien crisis.
Johnson added on CNN, “…without real significant investment from our federal government, it won’t just be the city of Chicago that won’t be able to maintain this mission; it’s the entire country that is now at stake.”
Meanwhile, a growing number of Chicago residents have called out the Democratic Party writ large for the open border fiasco, including local activist 81-year-old George Blakemore who said at a recent community meeting, “I am strictly advocating for black people. Call ICE on them. [Former President Donald] Trump, come in here and clean this up! The most corrupt city in the United States is the city of Chicago.”
“I am anti-illegal immigrant,” added Blakemore. “Send them all back across the Rio Grande.”
The activist went on to lament, “We didn’t come over waiting and looking for something. When we came we built this country, on free labor. To see another group come over here — it’s disgraceful, it’s un-American.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.