Chicago’s outgoing mayor, Lori Lightfoot, declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon, authorizing emergency funds to deal with the thousands of immigrants seeking asylum who have settled in the city and are struggling to live under harsh conditions.
The emergency declaration, which also asks for help from the Illinois National Guard, comes after more than 8,000 immigrants showed up in Chicago over the past 10 months. Thousands from Central and South America were bused in from Texas after the influx at the southern border stretched the state’s resources.
ABBOTT TELLS LIGHTFOOT TO ‘CALL ON THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO DO ITS JOB’ AMID MIGRANT CRISIS
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) began filling buses and sending them to “welcoming” cities like Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
Lightfoot, a Democrat, had vowed to greet the immigrants with “open arms” and delivered a defiant speech against Abbott where she blasted him for his “cruelty.”
Since then, reality has hit, and Lightfoot has been forced to admit Chicago may not be able to keep up with the housing demand.
“We should all understand that this crisis will likely deepen before we see it get better,” Lightfoot said in a written statement. “The City of Chicago is in the midst of a national humanitarian crisis, and through a unified effort in accordance with its values as a welcoming city, Chicago is doing everything it can to respond to the urgency of this matter. … There are not enough resources currently to meet the need.”
Lightfoot has warned for weeks that she may be forced to take drastic steps following reports of immigrants living in the city’s police stations, sleeping in lobbies and waiting, with children, for days, creating unsafe conditions and outpacing the city’s ability to find adequate housing for them. The situation has raised health and humanitarian concerns not only among police but also among community organizers.
Lightfoot has maintained that Chicago lacks the funds to support the refugees financially and claimed the state and federal government must share some of the cost.
CHICAGO MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT DEFENDS AGAINST ‘MEAN’ LABEL IN OUTGOING SPEECH
The Fraternal Order of Police filed a grievance over the state of affairs and argued that police resources shouldn’t be used to shelter illegal immigrants.
“This city said, ‘We’re a welcoming city, we’ll take you,’ but has no plans to do that. This is not a knock on them, but these people are now living in the lobbies of police stations, which is ridiculous,” Chicago FOP President John Catanzara Jr. said.
Chicago aldermen have been at odds over whether it’s fair to use city funds toward helping new arrivals while residents are suffering from poverty and a homeless crisis.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Lightfoot, Chicago’s first black female and openly gay mayor, lost her bid for reelection after coming under fire over an increase in crime in the city.
Her replacement, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, also a Democrat, will be sworn in on Monday.
