Pritzker urges Biden to intervene amid ‘untenable’ pace of migrant
arrivals
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[October 04, 2023]
By HANNAH MEISEL
Capitol News Illinois
hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com
As Chicago prepares for an increase in the already steady stream of
migrants arriving from the southern U.S. border this week, Gov. JB
Pritzker is once again publicly pressuring President Joe Biden to play a
larger role in coordinating relocation efforts.
“There is much more that can and must be done on a federal level to
address a national humanitarian crisis that is currently being
shouldered by state and local governments without support,” Pritzker
wrote in a three-page letter to the White House on Monday.
Without naming GOP figures like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Pritzker blamed
political leaders who “have shipped people to our state like cargo in a
dehumanizing attempt to score political points.” But he also faulted the
Biden administration for its lack of support for Illinois, which has
already dedicated $330 million to addressing the influx of 15,000
migrants and counting.
“Today, Illinois stands mostly unsupported against this enormous strain
on our state resources,” Pritzker wrote.
Since last August, Chicago has been one of the cities targeted by
Republican leaders like Abbott, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others
who’ve paid for buses and air travel to relocate asylum-seekers from
their states.
Migrants hail mostly from Central and South America, including a large
contingent fleeing economic and political collapse in Venezuela. New
York City, which began receiving migrants earlier in 2022, has seen more
than 110,000 asylum-seekers enter the city in the last year and a half,
though some have moved onto other places, including Chicago.
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On Friday, Pritzker’s office announced the state would send an
additional $30.3 million to Chicago to address the needs of asylum
seekers, along with roughly $11 million to be split among several
municipalities in the Chicago area and $250,000 for downstate Urbana.
The money represents nearly all of a $42.5 million line item in the
state’s budget for the current fiscal year, which began in July.
The governor has been a vocal Biden ally, including in his monthslong
effort to bring the Democratic National Convention to Chicago next
summer. During a visit to Chicago in June, the president praised
Pritzker as having “helped me more than anybody in America” in his 2020
election bid.
Read More: In Chicago visit, Biden heaps praise on Pritzker, touts
economic recovery ahead of 2024; Chicago to host 2024 Democratic
National Convention
In his carefully worded letter, the governor thanked Biden for steps his
administration had taken to assist Illinois’ response to the migrant
crisis, like providing “modest” funding through the Federal Emergency
Management Agency. But he was unequivocal in expressing the need for
more federal aid.
“The burden of funding the state and city have taken on is not
sustainable only by our budgets,” Pritzker wrote.
'Untenable'
Pritzker accused the federal government of “abdicating responsibility”
for asylum-seekers once U.S. Customs and Border Protection releases the
migrants after any initial detention at the border.
The states busing migrants to Illinois have typically given no warning
to state and city officials, and the pace of arrivals has been
accelerating in recent weeks. Volunteer groups have worked to fill in
the gaps of the ad hoc response. Pritzker urged the Biden administration
to “take a much more active role in managing the transport and
destination of the transport of asylum seekers.”
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Gov. JB Pritzker is pictured in his Capitol office. (Capitol News
Illinois file photo by Jerry Nowicki)
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“Unfortunately, the welcome and aid Illinois has been providing to these
asylum seekers has not been matched with support by the federal
government,” Pritzker wrote. “Most critically, the federal government’s
lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an
untenable situation for Illinois.”
The governor also criticized the White House for having a disorganized
and disjointed system for responding to leaders in states and cities
taking on migrants. Pritzker recommended that instead of the current
system of “too many different federal department contacts — who are
uncoordinated with one another,” the federal government should create “a
single office with an identified leader” to coordinate with state and
city leaders.
The governor sent the letter one day after he, Chicago Mayor Brandon
Johnson and the White House spoke on a conference call. Last week,
tensions flared between Pritzker and the new mayor’s allies on the
Chicago City Council after Johnson’s administration signed a $30 million
contract with a security firm to set up a “base camp” for migrants, many
of whom are sleeping in airports and police stations across the city.
Work Permits
At the end of August, when the number of asylum-seekers who’d arrived in
Chicago numbered approximately 13,000, Pritzker and other political and
business leaders urged the Biden administration to allow Illinois to
sponsor work permits for migrants. The idea is a bipartisan one that
other states have also requested, especially as the U.S. economy still
faces labor shortages in key industries while it continues to
recalibrate from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read More: Pritzker, state leaders call on Biden to allow Illinois to
sponsor work permits for migrants
In response, the Department of Homeland Security granted Temporary
Protected Status to Venezuelan migrants last month while announcing
plans to accelerate paperwork processing times. But Pritzker argued that
TPS-eligible migrants will still have to wait months for their work
authorization paperwork to clear, and he urged further action from Biden
to “cut the red tape.” And for non-Venezuelan migrants, the governor
asked Biden to waive the “high cost” fee to apply for TPS.
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“Mr. President, I urge you, (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas, and the rest of
your administration to take swift action and intervene on our behalf and
on behalf of the other affected states and their residents, as well as
on behalf of the tens of thousands of asylum seekers who undertook a
dangerous and difficult journey in hopes of attaining public safety and
forging a better life for themselves and their families,” Pritzker
wrote.
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is
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funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R.
McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois
Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
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