Lightfoot asks Illinois for millions more to help migrants; state says funding will stop by end of January

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has instructed state lawmakers town wants tens of millions extra in funding to offer for a whole lot of migrants and asylum seekers.

In a letter dated Thursday, Lightfoot requested $53.5 million from Illinois legislators to assist pay for emergency providers for the latest arrivals.

Lightfoot mentioned within the letter that the Illinois Emergency Administration Company and Illinois Division of Human Providers would cease sending monetary assist to Chicago for migrant providers within the new 12 months.

“Town is grateful to the state of Illinois for its partnership and collaboration on this mission to this point, however we’re merely unable to offer migrant providers at at present’s ranges after February 1, 2023 if the state withdraws its monetary assist,” Lightfoot wrote within the letter.

Chicago has 1,531 migrants in its care, Lightfoot wrote, and is operating 11 alternate shelters that present meals, clothes and showers. Since final summer time, town has seen a rise in migrants from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, in addition to from varied African international locations. It additionally has additionally obtained “an unusually giant numbers of migrants who’ve been compelled to go away Texas by bus transport.”

Lightfoot mentioned town has already spent tens of millions on serving to migrants and made a further “multi-million greenback funding” for this fiscal 12 months. However these funds with out state assist received’t be capable to meet the continuing want, she wrote.

The $53.5 million Lightfoot requested is what town initiatives it can spend via June 30, 2023, on migrant providers, although “this quantity will solely enhance based mostly on the variety of new migrants that arrive in Chicago,” she wrote.

“These funds will assist town’s resettling efforts for hundreds of latest arrivals for emergency shelter; diversion providers; requirements like meals and cellular showers; authorized providers; and supply for important bodily and behavioral assist wants,” Lightfoot wrote.

A letter to Chicago officers — signed by Alicia Tate-Nadeau, the director of the Illinois Emergency Administration Company, and Grace Hou, secretary of the Illinois Division of Human Providers — mentioned the partnership between town and state “has been an necessary one as we shortly responded and launched into the Asylum Seeker mission.”

The letter, dated Wednesday, mentioned the state has spent greater than $120 million and helped present shelter and providers to three,700 individuals. However the state companies “have exhausted all out there fiscal assets for the operation of the asylum seeker mission” and won’t assist town’s ongoing prices past January 31, 2023. 

Since late August, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has despatched a whole lot of asylum seekers to Democrat-led cities like Chicago. As of this week, 3,854 asylum seekers had arrived in chartered buses from Texas, in keeping with metropolis officers.

As well as, Chicago and state officers are offering providers — which incorporates shelter, meals and medical providers — to 1,400 people in search of asylum who’ve arrived to the realm in latest months. The newly arrived immigrants have spent the previous couple of months residing in makeshift shelters and in resort rooms in Chicago and suburban Prepare dinner County.

Metropolis officers introduced this week that the constructing that when housed the James Wadsworth Elementary Faculty in Woodlawn might be repurposed for a short lived shelter for the asylum seekers, although it could possibly be met with protests from residents.

Contributing: Elvia Malagón