“Yes, of course, we are a welcoming city and we always do what’s right by our immigrant and refugee communities, but we have reached a breaking point in our response to this humanitarian crisis,” Lightfoot said during a news conference on Tuesday.
The mayor is now able to request help from the Illinois National Guard thanks to Lightfoot’s statement.
Since last year, migrants have been transported by bus to Chicago and other places by Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Democratic El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser to protest the Biden administration’s management of the border. As the Trump administration’s Title 42 health authority’s enforcement ends on Thursday, Leeser also proclaimed a state of emergency in El Paso.
Chicago has received more than 8,000 busloads of migrants since August of last year.
Hundreds of migrants are currently sleeping in police stations in Illinois, and activists are calling for greater resources to help them. Lightfoot is dissatisfied with the FEMA funding the city has received in comparison to previous year.
For this national problem, Lightfoot stated, “We need a national solution.” “This cannot be accomplished state by state and city by city. It must be thorough and come from the federal government.
According to border watchers, the situation will get worse this week. Thursday marks the end of Title 42, which permitted the government to deny asylum to people based on concerns for the public’s health during the COVID-19 outbreak. According to reports, tens of thousands of migrants have congregated at the border in preparation for entering the United States.
Republican legislators have emphasized that Illinois is the only state that offers immigrants over a certain age complete health coverage. According to a recent study, the price of such healthcare will nearly double to $1 billion by the fiscal year 2024.
Marty McLaughlin, a state representative from Barrington, raised the migrant issue with House members on Tuesday and urged his colleagues to act morally when discussing the budget.
In the next ten days, while we discuss the budget, “please serve, protect, and honour your pledge to put Illinois citizens first, especially our most vulnerable,” McLaughlin added.
