Chicago migrants: Mayor Johnson to meet with Illinois congressional delegation, seek federal funds

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson announced he will hold a meeting Friday morning with members of Illinois' congressional delegation to appeal for federal help in dealing with Chicago's migrant crisis.

Meanwhile, work continued Thursday at the South Loop's migrant landing zone intake center.

The State of Illinois announced Wednesday it would erect six heated tents in its effort to meet an increasing influx of asylum seekers arriving in Chicago from Texas.

The numbers of new arrivals spiked over the holidays as bus drivers dropped off their passengers at Metra stations around the city while officials were unprepared for them.

Many of the new arrival are now living temporarily onboard warming buses until shelter space becomes available.

"It's going to help alleviate some of that pressure that the city shelters are facing," said Eddie Fuentes with New Life Centers. "With these tents, we're going to be able to take that time and that extra step to really focus on what their needs are."

More than 29,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since Texas Governor Greg Abbott began busing people here more than 16 months ago.

As of Thursday morning, 388 migrants were still awaiting placement, with 134 of them stationed at the landing zone itself.

The new tents will serve in part as a new intake center that will allow additional staff to provide wraparound services to people as soon as they arrive.

While Mayor Johnson has recently increased his calls to the federal government for more financial help to deal with the crisis, so far, Chicago has only received $19 million from Washington DC.

Homeland Security's Luis Miranda said the onus is on Congress.

"The administration supplemental funding request would help us add over 1,000 border patrol agents, the hundreds of personnel necessary to continue to manage this system in a safe orderly and humane way and to be and to continue to do the type of work that we're trying to do with other countries so we can really increase the repatriation of people who don't have a legal basis to remain in the United States," Miranda said.

Mayor Johnson has announced he will soon hold a virtual meeting with the State's congressional delegation to discuss the migrant crisis ahead of Congress going back into session.