The Illinois Refugee Resettlement Program is devoted to aiding those who have been victims of political and religious persecution to relocate and become economically independent. Recently, Governor Pritzker of Illinois sent a letter to President Joe Biden about the “unsustainable migration crisis” in the state, imploring for a reform of the system and criticizing the White House for its “lack of intervention and coordination” at the border. Pritzker noted that the state's resources were more than depleted after Texas authorities transported more than 15,000 migrants to Illinois last year. He proposed that the White House designate a person to work closely with the Oval Office as the go-to individual on the issue of migrants, and said there is too much bureaucracy for states to work with at the federal level.
Pritzker also requested that the federal government intervene by helping to manage the fate of migrants. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has sounded the alarm about the same problem in his system, saying that migrants were overwhelming the city's resources. Following pressure from Adams and others, Biden recently granted temporary legal status to Venezuelans who have lived in the U. S., allowing them to get work and live in the country.
The White House confirmed that it has a DHS team composed of experts in Chicago to assess the situation and identify ways in which the City and the federal government can improve efficiency and maximize resources. This report examines initiatives that municipal governments around the world have demonstrated to construct inclusive communities for displaced people. Beatriz Ponce de León, Chicago's Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights, reported on similar guidance, noting that buses could carry 1,250 migrants a day. Unfortunately, the welcome and help that Illinois has been providing to these asylum seekers has not been supported by the federal government. The authors present statistical data on immigration to the United States, emphasizing its economic advantages, historical changes in immigration patterns, and educational and occupational composition of immigrants. Thousands of migrants have been arriving in Illinois and Chicago for more than a year, and new warnings indicate that thousands more could be sent to the region in the coming days and months.
