Mayor-elect Lightfoot says migrants welcome in Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is back in Illinois after visiting the U.S. border with Mexico.

He said closing the border would have a "devastating" effect on both countries.

"I was struck by the fact that our facilities there are overwhelmed on the border, and we're also running into the problem of placing people once they've left the border. It's a long involved legal situation," Durbin said.

Chicago is one place being touted by President Trump as a place to release immigrants crossing over the border.

The President doubled down on his idea tweeting Saturday that the U.S. has the power to send immigrants to sanctuary cities that do not follow federal immigration laws.

A White House spokesperson told ABC News they are taking the proposal seriously and are looking into how it would work and how much it would cost.

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot said Chicago will welcome migrants.