City Council defers vote on Mayor Brandon Johnson's request for $70M for migrant care

No action taken on future of city contact for ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology

Wednesday, April 17, 2024
City Council to vote on Johnson's request for $70M for migrant care
The Chicago City Council is set to vote Wednesday on Mayor Brandon Johnson's request for $70 million for migrants.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago's City Council wrapped up a long day of meeting Wednesday, but there was no action on a list of items, including money for Chicago's migrants and the future of ShotSpotter technology.

The City Council deferred to vote on whether or not to allocate an additional $70 million to help provide for new arrivals in Chicago.

The mayor wants to take the $70 million out of a surplus fund to care for the new arrivals.

The Johnson administration also said it does not plan to ask for more migrant funding this year.

ABC7 Political Analyst Laura Washington talks about the City Council vote on spending for migrants.

On Monday, the City Council Budget Committee voted 20 to 8 in favor of using the $70 million for new arrivals.

Though the number of new arrivals coming to Chicago has slowed, the city said it wants to be prepared for any sudden influxes from the Southern Border.

According to the mayor's office, the city has spent nearly $300 million to care for migrants since August 2022.