Declaring he will “never sacrifice the needs of Chicagoans for those who wish to become Chicagoans,” Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday teased a new phase of his plan to confront the migrant crisis, including a 60-day limit on shelter stays.
With tensions still running high in opposition to the winterized base camps he’s racing to open in Brighton Park and Morgan Park, Johnson may hope the new plan will ease at least some of that pushback.
Without specifics, Johnson also declared both Illinois and Cook County would “announce new investments to meet the needs of this humanitarian crisis” and help increase staffing and case management at landing zones.
“Part of the investments that the state will be providing is to expand a more expedited process for them to be resettled,” he said.
Sources later told the Sun-Times that Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday plans to announce additional assistance to deal with the influx of migrants, to the tune of approximately $160 million.
The mayor discussed his plan only briefly, offering few details, while basking in the glow of his budget victory. But Johnson promised to put some meat on the bone during a Friday briefing. The goal, he said, is to more quickly move asylum-seekers out of shelters and into work and self-sufficiency.
“We are increasing personnel at the landing zone and staging areas to facilitate connections to other destinations for individuals who do not wish to stay in Chicago and re-unite them with family members and sponsors,” Johnson said.
“We are implementing a tiered, 60-day shelter limit, combined with robust case management and workforce access to move new arrivals through our system to self-sufficiency,” the mayor said.
“And we are implementing regulatory tools starting this weekend to cite and fine bus companies that disregard our curfews, landing zone locations and loading and unloading rules,” Johnson said.
“When we look at how the Ukrainian families were received in ... Chicago, they had a community that already existed to receive them. We don’t have that type of structure for Venezuelans. So creating a more expedited process to get them on the pathway to work allows for them to become contributors to Chicago.”
Chicagoans are demanding a “balanced approach” to the migrant crisis, he said, adding that’s what the next phase of his plan will deliver.
He pushed back hard when asked if a 60-day shelter limit would further traumatize asylum-seekers.
“They don’t want the police district and the floor outside to be their final destination. That’s their biggest fear,” he said.
“Here’s what this 60-day tiered approach does: It puts some onus on all levels of government to move with some urgency to get people to work.”
Contributing: Tina Sfondeles
