Third Way: The Migrant Crisis Is Too Large for Local Government

NBC Chicago

Mayor Brandon Johnson and his staff began their administration by being thrown in the middle of a migrant crisis exacerbated by Republican governors. While 126 buses in total have been sent to Chicago, 118 of them have been sent since May, indicating that this crisis recently has become overwhelming, especially for a new local government. While the mayor’s office has been holding frequent town halls to not only inform local citizens but also to receive their input, they have been consistently criticized not matter what avenue they have taken. It is clear the issue of migrants in the city is overwhelming the resources of Chicago and therefore, the mayor’s office need federal government support in order to mitigate it.

The recent influx of migrants is not only the result of a partisan issue being played out, but it is also the result of current geopolitical situations. Due to severe political unrest in Venezuela, over 7 million people have migrated to America. The country only has 28 million people, making this the second largest displacement of people in the world. In September, the Biden administration announced temporary protected status for 472,000 Venezuelans in the country in the hopes they could find work easier. The protected status was granted since it is no longer single people migrating, large families are now coming. Since the migrants are family units, they require more government assistance for things like medical care and enrollment in school. With the mass displacement, most families arriving do not have other family or friends to support them, so they are far more reliant on government assistance. Further, to deport migrants, the U.S. must have an agreement worked out with the country of origin. The U.S. does not have an agreement with Venezuela so they cannot deport these people. With all these new issues, Southern states have become overwhelmed, leading to the busing up North. Southern governors have brought them up North, often with little to no warning, either busing them or putting them on planes destined for the O’Hare airport. This orchestrated situation was deliberately designed to create chaos in the North, making local governments look inadequate.    

Brandon Johnson’s staff has been working diligently to aid this situation. In a town hall shown below, the staff explained the desperate search to find temporary housing for migrants, so they won’t end up on the streets of Chicago in the winter. They are actively working with many charities and organizations to help migrants get the hygiene products they need, laundry services, medical services, legal support, and enrollment in school. They did admit, however, in a town hall they currently have no long-term strategy; they are so overwhelmed they are just focusing on housing the migrants. In the first video attached here, the deputy mayor responds to criticism stating, “Please call your elected officials and ask for the resources Chicago needs to manage this situation.” They also emphasized, in this town hall, the current attempts to build up the infrastructure for migrants so this is not an issue of a lack of resources in the future. Further, in another town hall, Ronnie Mosley, a member of the mayor’s staff explains that even if they must resort to tents, it will not be inhumane as the tents they have purchased are designed to withstand extreme wind and have heating in them. While the city has received 33 million from the federal government, Mosley explained that those funds could only be used for migrants. This explanation was an attempt to push back on the criticism that all these resources that should be for the poor in Chicago are being used on migrants. Finally, he explained that the city did not divert funds for homelessness towards migrants, “60 million in shelters for homelessness, this narrative has to go out, because all you get is that migrants get more than you.” As demonstrated here, the mayor’s staff has worked diligently to aid migrants in a humane way while also showing care for their citizens. They have not diverted funding, as previously believed, and are going out of their way to hear citizens’ concerns about the issues.

Mayor Johnson himself has been very outspoken about this issue. He explained the difficulty of the issue by stating that more buses have come in the last 15 weeks than in the whole last year combined. While he understands the concerns of citizens, he believes that being hostile towards the migrants will not stop their arrivals. He believes, “If we do not act in this moment, if we do not live out our values and principles as a city, the type of chaos that will break out as a result of not having any action will cost the city much more.” In other words, this is an issue of humanity, not politics, and Mayor Johnson is determined to aid the people arriving. Additionally, he claims that they are attempting to use every department of government and every avenue available to help. A team from homeland security recently arrived in Chicago to help mitigate the crisis. Despite this, he expressed his hopes for more support and resources from the federal government. Finally, he criticized Southern Republican governors for this publicity stunt stating how his administration would continue to push back on, “Alt right movement that continues to disrupt black and brown economies.” In other words, besides hurting migrants, Mayor Johnson shows that the desperate situation has hurt marginalized communities as they are being moved aside to deal with this more pressing issue. Demonstrated here, Mayor Johnson is committed to dealing with the migrant crisis in a humane way and is willing to be criticized to do the right thing.

Brandon Johnson and his staff began the administration in a tricky spot. Huge numbers of migrants were arriving everyday with little indication of it stopping. They have attempted to deal with this as quickly as they could while still being humane to the migrants. These huge numbers that are arriving because of geopolitical instability are heavily reliant on government assistance. Both Johnson and his staff have attempted to increase housing, provide legal and medical assistance, interact with citizens so they have both knowledge and a say in the situation, and have pleaded for additional resources. It is clear they simply do not have enough to deal with the issue and need federal government assistance to both mitigate this problem and continue to provide for the citizens of Chicago.