Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says he will visit southern border to see migrant crisis first-hand
Migrant crisis Chicago: Up to 22 buses expected to arrive Wednesday
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson said Wednesday that he will be making a trip to the border to see the migrant crisis first-hand.
It comes as the city braces for more buses arriving with additional asylum seekers.
Johnson revealed he is going to the southern border soon, but he would not provide any specifics.
"We need to go assess the situation," he said. "This is serious. And I've been saying it. I mean this ain't the first time you've heard me say how serious this dynamic is."
A team from the Department of Homeland Security arrived in Chicago Tuesday to see what help the city needs.
"So, going to the border is to make sure that everybody knows that my administration is committed to making sure that we are putting together the full force of government at every single level to ensure that these families, who, by the way, they're not illegal, they're asylum seekers, they are protected by international law," Johnson said.
An impassioned Mayor Johnson talked about the migrant crisis in Chicago after City Council Wednesday, saying federal policies have impacted the city in a very dramatic way.
Already, more than 17,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago, with up to 22 more buses expected to arrive Wednesday.
City resources are already strained to the limit, and the Johnson administration is scrambling to open more shelters.
Johnson pointed a thinly veiled finger at Texas Gov. Greg Abbot for creating the problem that DHS is in the city to evaluate.
"Based upon our interactions thus far. It is becoming increasingly clear that those who want to disrupt our democracy are committed to doing that; it's a real mission of theirs. And so our hope is that we will continue to get more resources and a stronger commitment from the federal government to be able to provide us with the support that the people of Chicago need," Johnson said.
Johnson said he recognizes what the southern border states are dealing with, and that's why he wants to go there with a team to see the problem first-hand.
He said the trip is not to try and discourage the asylum seekers from coming to Chicago with the approach of colder weather.
Johnson also expressed frustration at unnamed critics who have questioned the allocation of resources to migrants to what the city is providing to Black Chicagoans.
"Comparing the conditions in which descendants of slaves have had to endure to migrants who are sleeping on floors. I question how much you actually care a lot about Black people and understand their needs," he said.
Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, who has frequently raised concerns about resource allocation during this crisis, said she did not feel those comments were directed at her, and called herself an ally of the mayor.
The mayor said he's juggling public safety concerns, the budget and other issues in regards to the timing of his trip.
