Third Way: The Multi-Tiered Approach to Solving Immigration Issues
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago migrant crisis is an issue exacerbated by both political games and international situations. While the local government has attempted to address the issue, the scale of the problem has quickly overwhelmed the resources of Chicago. Furthermore, the underserved residents of Chicago are frustrated, seeing how quickly resources can be devoted towards a group if it is in the government’s priority. Managing both these issues is extremely tricky. To aid the migrant crisis, the federal government must take control of the situation. Further, Chicago should seek out other cities and states willing to take the migrants. Long term, Congress must pass comprehensive immigration reform to curb the overwhelming numbers currently crossing the border. Finally, Chicago must address the issues being brought by underserved communities to demonstrate commitment to the voters. These solutions are needed because they do not negatively impact Chicago residents; rather, they help to move migrants out of publicly zoned places.
Executive Branch Intervention
It is clear from the town halls being held by the mayor’s office that they are dealing with this issue on a level never seen before. The quick exacerbation of the crisis that occurred directly after Mayor Johnson took office is evidence that the migrants are part of a political game being played where Republicans are attempting to show the need for strict immigration laws. From the pleas during the town halls, the office has made it clear: Chicago needs federal government intervention to deal with this crisis. Governor Pritzker, a longtime ally of Biden, wrote a letter pleading for federal government resources. In the letter he requested that the federal government oversee the transportation of migrants between states so that the receiving governments can be aware of when and how many people will be arriving. The governor also asked for the waiving of fees for the work permit application and an expedited approval process, rather than the 6 month one that currently awaits newly arrived migrants. Additionally, the governor requested a single person or office to oversee this mass issue, rather than several departments who only have partial authority. The Biden administration’s response to the letter has been to blame Congress for their inaction on immigration reform. While the inaction is true, Biden has executive orders at his disposal. President Obama used an executive order to create DACA, which provided a pathway to citizenship for millions of children brought here. Checks and balances do occur on executive orders, but it is a slow process. What is needed here is quick and decisive action. The speed needed on this issue can only be addressed by the office of the president; Congress is simply too slow for these short-term solutions. The federal government, Biden specifically, must follow Pritzker’s suggestions to cut red tape and to provide more funding and logistical support in the wake of the chaos.
Chicago’s Responsibility
While those actions taken by the federal government are beyond essential, there are still things the city of Chicago can do to mitigate the crisis. There needs to be increased communication between Chicago and other cities. For example, the city of St. Louis has offered to take migrants to help with their population decline and work force needs. This program, funded by private donors is at no cost to the taxpayer. The city provides for all migrant needs, including work training for 3 months. St. Louis experimented with this project during the Afghanistan refugee crisis and was able to successfully integrate 2000 Afghans into society. Further, the Indiana and Utah governors have offered to sponsor migrants since they have 300,000 jobs vacancies in these states combined. Chicago, with 17,000 migrants to date cannot reasonably house and provide for them. Therefore, Chicago should begin to work with other places that can take the strain off while still providing for the migrants. This of course requires bipartisan cooperation. It is necessary for Mayor Johnson and the Governor to put the needs of the people above party here to lessen the strain on Chicago. By promoting this program, other cities and state experiencing work force shortages will likely follow and help to improve their work force needs while decreasing the strain on Chicago.
Regarding the concerns from the Southside and Westside of Chicago, Mayor Johnson and his office need to work to demonstrate their concerns are being heard. The office needs to find temporary housing for migrants in areas that does not impede on the residents of Chicago’s quality of life. One suggestion made was to convert old government buildings into temporary housing since it is already zoned for government usage and does not involve taking away something from the people. The office needs to continue to prioritize their concerns in general and work towards gaining their trust back through public policy designed to benefit these marginalized groups. The city cannot use marginalized groups to serve their desires anymore. The solutions must involve moving as many migrants as possible because the overburdened city is of no help to the residents of Chicago.
Congressional Responses
Long term solutions are also necessary since simply moving migrants to different cities does not stop the surge coming into the nation. The nation is past due for comprehensive immigration reform. Congress has not passed immigration reform in over 10 years. The legislative branch must work on a bill that readjusts work visas to fill vacancies needed, addresses the number of asylum seekers currently, decreases time between hearings, and increases border security. Congress must improve the logistics of this immigration in this nation to get the issue under control. Further, the executive branch must work on stabilizing those regions which the migrants come from to prevent another mass exodus. The executive branch should improve relationships with those nations so there can be a decided solution when the migrants come. If the countries do not have an existing agreement, the U.S. cannot properly deal with the migrants. These long-term solutions are essential to mitigating the crisis at its root causes.
The multi layered solutions presented here are necessary and must work in tandem to address the crisis. Federal government intervention is essential to bringing the crisis down to manageable levels. Utilizing other cities and states helps to address the lack of temporary housing available in Chicago and to not further burden the residents of Chicago. Long term solutions get to the root causes of immigration and help to improve America’s system. These solutions are essential because they do not further burden the Chicago residents; rather, they rely on aid from other sources to help mitigate the crisis. It is high time for both parties to put aside their petty squabbles and work towards comprehensive immigration reform to humanely provide aid while continuing to provide for the constituents they serve.