Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot, who recently lost her reelection bid, issued an emergency declaration Tuesday as an influx of illegal immigrants into the city has overwhelmed local facilities and personnel.
“We should all understand that this crisis will likely deepen before we see it get better, so as we move forward, the city of Chicago will have to bring additional locations online to prepare for the arrival of more individuals and families and to relieve Chicago Police Department districts,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “The city of Chicago is in the midst of a national humanitarian crisis, and through a unified effort in accordance with its values as a welcoming city, Chicago is doing everything it can to respond to the urgency of this matter.”
Lightfoot added that the city had requested federal and state aid for “emergency shelter and resettlement” due to insufficient resources.
In the fall, Texas governor Greg Abbott launched “Operation Lone Star,” a program that transported illegal immigrants from Texas to big metropolitan areas like New York City and Washington, D.C. Buses of migrants were also dropped off in Chicago.
Since August 2022, over 8,000 migrants have moved into Chicago, according to NBC Chicago. Arrivals into the city have increased recently, with many illegal immigrants sleeping on the floor of police stations. On Tuesday, 48 arrived, the news outlet reported.
In April, Lightfoot sent a letter to Abbott demanding his administration cease relocating migrants to Chicago. She decried the program as the inhumane exploitation of vulnerable asylum-seekers. Lightfoot alleged that “lack of consideration or coordination in an attempt to cause chaos and score political points has resulted in a critical tipping point in our ability to receive individuals and families in a safe, orderly, and dignified way.”
The mayor pleaded with Abbott to “treat these individuals with the respect and dignity that they deserve.” She said Abbott’s direction to migrants to “go to Chicago or to inhumanely bus them here is an inviable and misleading choice.”
Some residents have objected to the city’s use of public centers to accommodate migrants. Citizens have been protesting the use of the former South Shore High School to house arriving migrants, arguing that it should be prioritized for community needs.
The crises in cities over migrant inflow are likely to be exacerbated by the upcoming expiration of Title 42, the Trump-era Covid policy, which allowed the expulsion of migrants to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. The rule’s end will likely bring an unprecedented escalation to the already untenable border catastrophe, which has seen record numbers of illegal immigrants pour into the interior, straining border towns and agents.